


Winter's Bite

by blondieschick



Series: Glacier City [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post Avengers Age of Ultron, pre civil war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-05 02:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 69,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6684784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondieschick/pseuds/blondieschick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clara and Bucky have just survived a run in with Hydra but Clara's maniacal ex-boyfriend is still out there and promises revenge.<br/>They flee Washington when he makes good on his promise and puts out a kill order on Bucky. Soon, they discover that he's just one of<br/>the multitude of problems they'll be facing from Hydra, the FBI, two shadowy underworld characters as well as the usual problems every new<br/>relationship faces.<br/>When life takes a turn for the worst, can Clara trust her skills to save her from a fate that still gives Bucky nightmares?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

I watched Bucky through the round lenses of my binoculars, I was two buildings and several storeys above him, at a place that both he and my father would call an optimum distance for watching an operation unfold. He moved effortlessly through the crowd, blending in so well that even I, who knew him well, could lose him in the crush.   
There was some sort of parade going on and there were people everywhere, babies crying, children giggling and just the general hubbub that surrounds any sort of spectacle. Bucky and I should have split town hours before but we’d had to wait for sure. Hydra had issued a kill order on Bucky via the underground earlier that morning and we were already pushing our luck by staying on.  
I bit my lip and brushed the sweaty hair from my face. Surveillance couldn’t be done wearing a hat or sunglasses so I’d been forced to swelter under a midday sun for over an hour now. I was glad Bucky was moving back in my direction, it meant that soon I’d be able leave the blistering sun behind for our air conditioned rendezvous car and we’d be out of Washington DC in no time. It also meant that Bucky’s contact hadn’t killed him. My relief was short lived because without warning, I saw a flicker in the crush of people and I lost sight of Bucky. I felt my stomach clench in fear, two men had slammed into Bucky from both sides and were doing their best to subdue him. I felt for the gun on my waistband, the temptation to shoot was so strong. I could see that Bucky was surrounded by at least five or six men I’d mistaken for regular festival goers. I hesitated, there were too many people around to safely shoot, besides, even though I’d excelled at my gun training, I still wasn’t that confident in my abilities.  
Four men were all taking shots at Bucky, a kick here and a punch or two there. He twisted and spun around them, using his knife and his body like the weapon it was. It was so easy to get distracted when I was watching him fight. It had been a struggle having him train me, so much that my father had insisted that I go over the combat theory with some of his agents just to make sure that I was actually learning.   
Speaking of theory, I had to get back to the car otherwise Bucky would be in more trouble than he already was in. I packed up my surveillance kit and with a last despairing glance at Bucky, I then made my way down the side of the building, taking the fire escape stairs two at a time. I needed to get back to the car so we’d be ready to leave the second Bucky got back. When I reached the deserted back street where we’d parked the car, I did a mini surveillance of the area. Bucky hadn’t been seen with me when he’d met his contact but we couldn’t be too careful. Hydra had eyes almost everywhere and ears everywhere else.  
I slid into the seat of the navy blue Range rover and sighed. It was expensive but not too flashy. It wouldn’t draw too much attention in any neighborhood, it was a perfect getaway car. It had been an upgrade from my father (he still felt bad about ratting on me to Interpol). I sighed in contentment as I fired up the engine, it reminded me of the beaten up white car we’d stolen from that girl at the department store. It seemed so long ago even if it had only been five or six months ago.   
I kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other I used to pull out my gun. It was entirely possible that Bucky would have company when he came back and chances were high that they would be shooting. Bucky opened the car door and got in panting. I heard the dull thud of a gunshot hit the car and I hit the gas. I swerved out of the parking spot and was just about to drive away when someone appeared at my window.   
It was Sebastian, he had a gun in his hand and I felt myself go cold. He looked just the way I remembered, his blue eyes leering at me in a predatory way, a customary cruel smirk on his face. Before I could blink, Bucky put his foot over mine and we were driving. I snapped out of my reverie and took hold of the wheel, I flinched when I heard another bullet hit the car. It was as if my body knew that Sebastian had shot at me again because I instantly remembered that night. The searing pain, the dark room and all the blood. It was the first time since I’d seen him and I still felt like he was about to shoot me. I was still terrified of him.   
Bucky didn’t speak for the longest time, I just felt his eyes on me every few minutes. I saw him check if anyone was following us but I was sure they weren’t. I’d taken the route we practiced, one that was so winding and full of sudden turns that it made it impossible to follow, even for Hydra.   
We made it to the freeway before Bucky broke the silence.  
“I’m sorry that you had to see him like that Clara, it must have been tough”.  
I cleared my throat and glanced at him.  
He wasn’t looking at me as he said it, his face was turned away.  
“Yeah it was tough but I guess I… I’m just annoyed at myself”.  
This time Bucky did look at me, a little surprise on his face.  
“Why”?  
“For reacting like that, for freezing up, for letting him see my fear”.  
“Clara, the guy shot you. I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to react like that”.  
“I know but you’re only making me feel worse. Even though you don’t mean to. I just feel like I’m meant to be capable. I mean I am an agent now”.  
“A part time agent” Bucky corrected.  
My father had agreed to me joining the CIA on the condition that it was on a part time basis and mainly working with Bucky until I finished college. He’d almost wanted to refuse me going with Bucky on this mission but Bucky had convinced him that Hydra would still be looking for me even if Bucky left town on his own. I was safer with Bucky than with my father.  
I glanced at Bucky.  
While my father didn’t exactly approve of Bucky and I’s relationship, he’d been reluctant to take a firm stance against it because of how hard he’d pushed me towards Sebastian. We all knew how that had turned out and he didn’t want to make another mistake like that. He did approve of Bucky as a person though, he somehow was in awe of him because he’d fought in the war. He said he reminded him of his own father. I’d never seen my father fangirl around anyone before Bucky.  
Bucky seemed quiet and by quiet I meant more quiet than he usually was. It must have been hard to see Sebastian again. It made me realize that I hadn’t even asked what had happened with his contact or about the fight. What was wrong with me? I could be the worst girlfriend at times. God!  
“What happened with your contact”?  
He sighed.  
“Everything went pretty well. He was surprised as hell to see me, I think Hydra must have convinced him I was already dead”.  
“And this contact is”…..  
“If I told you that, I’d have to kill you” he chanted while smiling crookedly at me.  
I rolled my eyes with a smile on my face.  
“Okay so we are still heading to Montana in the end right”?  
“Yes we are but we’ll switch transport in Chicago, we’re now getting a flight to Montana from there”.  
“Thank God”.  
I hadn’t been looking forward to the drive to Montana, I loved long drives but it would be nicer to take a plane to Montana. It would give Bucky and I some time to ourselves. Who knew, maybe we could join the mile high club I thought dryly.  
“Yeah I figured you’d say that” he had a goofy smile on his face like he knew exactly what I was thinking.  
“Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m thinking like an agent”.  
“Who said anything gutter worthy” he asked innocently. “Now tell me Agent Smith or Agent twenty one, what’s so good about taking a plane to Montana”?  
“Well seeing as Sebastian followed you to the car, we can’t afford to keep this one for long. We’ll have to dump it in Chicago in case they follow us which I’m guessing they definitely will”.  
Bucky raised his eyebrows.  
“Exactly my thinking Agent Smith”.  
“No but seriously, how was it seeing Sebastian again? I mean he did shoot me but you guys have a history too”.  
The smile on his face was quickly replaced by a dark look.  
“He was the same as usual, all taunts and quick with a knife”. He paused.  
“Clara, I don’t like you being here with me, it’s like he’s planning something”.  
I glanced at Bucky surprised.  
“I thought we agreed that I’d be safest with you”.  
“I did agree at the time but that was before I saw how obsessed he still is with you. It’s just gotten worse, it’s made him more desperate and cruel than before. I’m thinking that maybe we should split up in Chicago”-  
I cut him off.  
“Bucky if we split up in Chicago, he’ll definitely follow me. At least this way I won’t have to face him myself”.  
“At least it will force them to split up, divided they’re weaker”.  
“This was supposed to be our mission though, if I don’t pull this off my father will never trust me on my own again”.  
“Clara, I know you want your father to approve but I’m talking about your safety, I can’t lose you like that again”.  
He put his hand on my wrist and I looked at him.  
I knew exactly what he was talking about. The night at the Smithsonian when I’d almost lost him for good, when we’d nearly lost each other forever to the clutches of Hydra. I knew he still felt the same guilt that I did.  
He had a desperate look in his eyes that tugged at my heart. For a moment I just wanted to agree to split up in Chicago but I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if something kept me from fulfilling our plan. Not knowing how things went was sure to kill me. I couldn’t stand sitting on the sidelines anymore.   
I took a deep breath.  
“Bucky, I have to do this. I’m not the same person you met in New York, I’ve worked really hard to be good enough for this and I could never forgive myself if I let that go to waste”.  
“I know you have Clara and as much as I don’t like it” he sighed “I know that you’re not going to let this go are you”?  
I shook my head.  
He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair.  
“Well then, we’ll just have to be extra careful. You have to do everything I say, when I say otherwise I’ll take you back to your father. Okay”?  
“Okay” I nodded.  
“Good” he murmured.

 

The hours in the car flew by. We just spent the time talking and listening to music on various radio stations. Bucky couldn’t believe what passed for music these days and I just loved watching his reaction.   
By the time we reached Pittsburgh, I was already exhausted and in Ohio, Bucky put his foot down and took the wheel. Bucky could l stay up to all hours with very little sleep. Logically this was an excellent solution but I also knew that he might have driven just to avoid sleeping. His nightmares had flared up again and no matter how much I tried to convince him to talk to a professional, he refused each time. I just had to let it go and accept that he would deal with it in his own way.   
We reached Chicago at around eleven pm, Bucky shook me awake when we arrived. The cold air woke me right up and I had to pull on my bomber jacket. It really was freezing in Chicago, even a native New Yorker like myself was surprised. We pulled out our backpacks and left the keys the exhaust pipe of the car and made our way back to O’Hare airport on foot. I pulled my still too short hair up into a bun and Bucky pulled on a grey beanie. We couldn’t dare try driving up to the airport, they would definitely be watching for a car but it would be harder to pick us out if we approached on foot.  
I texted my father the location of the car on my satellite phone (a necessary upgrade) so the CIA could collect it before Hydra came sniffing around. Bucky, ever the super spy, was looking around us to make sure we weren’t followed. I could see it would be difficult for anyone to follow us, even though it was late, the airport was still packed full of people. Bucky steered us through the metal detectors without flinching, I mean I suppose our guns were ceramic and his knives had been left back in the car but I wasn’t used to such deception.   
When we were through, a nondescript looking man in his forties nodded at Bucky and approached.  
“Follow me” he murmured.  
We followed him past all the terminals until we reached a huge glass door in a deserted hallway. The man pulled out a thin metal card which he pressed into a slot and the door slid open. Outside, we could see a small plane parked on a tiny airstrip, the city of Chicago winking in the background.   
We boarded the plane, the man went to do something at the back of the plane while Bucky and I settled in for the journey.  
“So, how long is the flight”?  
“I think it’s about four hours with a stopover in Denver”.  
The man came out and stopped in front of us.  
“My name is Thomas, and I’ll be your pilot” He held out his hand and I shook it.  
“I would have introduced myself earlier but there was no time to stand and chat. We’ll be departing just now so I suggest fasten your seat belts”  
I replied that I understood and after shaking Bucky’s hand, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the cockpit.   
“That wasn’t much of an introduction” I murmured to Bucky while pulling on my seatbelt.  
“My contact just tells him where to meet people and he picks them up. No questions asked”.  
Huh. I sometimes forgot that Bucky was a deadly assassin but times like this made it clear.  
We flew out over the skyscrapers of Chicago, the lights of the tall John Hancock Center glittering in the distance. It would have been something to have stayed in Chicago for a while. To have taken a normal stroll along the river, an innocent date with my boyfriend without a target on our back or training interfering. I’d never been to Chicago and I wasn’t sure when I’d get to come back again.  
I turned my face away from the window as the plane climbed up higher.  
“It would have been nice to stay for a little longer in Chicago”.  
“I know” Bucky scratched his stubble absently before continuing.   
“It would have been too difficult to stay undercover there, Hydra has too many contacts in all the major city centers. It’ll be so much easier to disappear in Montana”.  
“I wanted to stay there but I kind of felt relieved when the plane took off. I couldn’t help feeling that”….  
Bucky leaned forward.  
“That it was too easy” he finished.  
I nodded my head.  
“I felt as if they let us go in Washington”.  
Bucky frowned in thought.  
“I get that feeling too but not from Washington. No, I feel like they wanted to catch us in Washington but they changed their plan. It’s as if they’re lying in wait”.  
“Like a trap”? I asked.  
He nodded.  
“Exactly. I expected at least a minor run in at the airport but there was no one”.  
We sat in silence for a moment as the implications of his words hit me.  
A trap. Hydra was cunning as they were cruel, a trap seemed exactly like something they would do. A highly elaborate, long winded trap could be waiting for us in Montana.  
I swallowed, fear suddenly swamping me.   
We’d have to be extremely careful in Montana, I knew we were heading somewhere remote but I still wasn’t naïve enough to think that would be enough. We were going to have to be alert always if our plan was going to work. We needed somewhere we could stay until the heat was off Bucky and we could finally put our plan into action.


	2. Chapter Two

We stopped at Denver airport at around two or three in the morning, Bucky had his eyes closed but I could see he wasn’t asleep. I stretched and looked out the window. We were on a similarly deserted airstrip like the one in Chicago but that’s where the similarities ended. I could see the peaked white roof of the airport in the distance, the only light in our dark surroundings. I couldn’t help thinking that it looked like an oversized party tent. I checked my sat phone and saw that my father had replied with both new information and the pin for the house we would be staying in.  
The car had been collected and later surveillance of the area had shown that several men dressed in black had pulled up in a van not long after. Hydra had been on our tail just as I’d suspected. It was highly unlikely that they’d follow us to Denver or Montana. Even if they saw the security footage of us passing through airport security, they’d never find out where we went. O’Hare wasn’t just a domestic but a huge international airport, we could have boarded any plane to any destination with false documents. There was no way they could track every flight and even if they did, they’d eventually hit a dead end because we’d travelled on a small plane, completely off the radar. I yawned as the tension left my body. It could take weeks or even months for them to figure out where we’d gone. We were finally free of them.  
I dozed off for what seemed like a few minutes when Bucky shook me awake. When we stepped out of the plane, the ground was wet and the air smelled of vegetation. It was exactly what I’d expected Montana to be like, I could see trees and the mountains further out. Another car was waiting for us, a dark green jeep (to my disappointment) and when I pulled the keys from the exhaust pipe. I explained what my father had said in hushed tones after Thomas said his goodbyes and disappeared back into the plane. When Bucky took the keys from me, I couldn’t say that I was disappointed, I just collapsed into the passenger seat in an exhausted stupor. We had been travelling for over fourteen hours and it was really starting to take its toll.  
Bucky, alert as ever drove us away from Billings Logan airport which was still a mini hub of activity behind us, and into the night. I cleared my throat.  
“Do you think we lost them”?  
Bucky glanced at me in surprise.  
“I thought you’d pass out as soon you got in the car”.  
“What about you? Aren’t you tired”? I asked fully anticipating his answer  
“Don’t worry about me” he replied.  
I just sighed and he continued.  
“I think we lost them in Chicago for sure because they only came for the car after we’d already flown off. I think they’re desperate to find out where we are so we’re going to have to lay low for the next couple of days I know they’ll put out feelers so it’s a precaution we’re gonna need”.  
“We’re staying outside Billings so it’s not likely that they’ll have anyone looking out right”?  
“Yeah that’s why I chose Billings, it’s far away enough, it’s not really a huge city center but the population is big enough that we can blend in”.  
I stroked the side of his face absently, pushing the hair out of his eyes.  
“Its been too long since it was just the two of us you know”.  
His eyes became heavy lidded for a moment as he leant into my hand.  
“I know it hasn’t been ideal for us with a kill order hanging over my head and all”.  
I shook my head even before he had finished.  
“They’re hunting us both remember”?  
“Yes but its my fault that you’re in danger”.  
“You can’t think like that Bucky, how is it your fault that people want to use you and torture you for their own ends”?  
“It was my fault for bringing you into this”.  
I bit my lip and moved my hand to his wrist.  
“Can you pull up for a minute please”?  
He pulled over on the side of the road and took the keys out of the ignition.  
I smoothed down my clothes nervously. This didn’t seem like the right time to be having this conversation but we couldn’t keep putting it off.  
“Bucky I know that you blame yourself for what happened at the Smithsonian and for this now but I just want you to know that we’re in this together”. My eyed flicked up to his, they were a dark blue in the low light and completely unreadable.  
I swallowed nervously but pushed on.  
“I know you’re used to being alone but you don’t have to be anymore. You don’t have to push me away”.  
He pushed his hair back from his face and I felt something in me flutter. I always felt that way when he’d do that, he always made me feel like I had to catch my breath.  
He half smiled crookedly.  
“I haven’t done anything like this in a long time so it gets confusing for me at times. I haven’t had anyone that I could trust with anything since, well since forever and I don’t mean to push you away. I just don’t want to worry you”.  
I took his hand and I closed my eyes when he squeezed it.  
“You know when you don’t talk to me about not sleeping or whatever, you worry even more right”?  
I opened my eyes and suddenly his face seemed really close.  
“I don’t know what’s going on with me. The nightmares stopped and they just started again”.  
“Do you think it has anything to do with the bounty on your head”? I replied dryly.  
“I guess it might have something to do with that” he admitted.  
I leaned forward slightly. I’d forgotten how good he looked up close.  
“Do you promise to stop hiding them from me from now on”?  
“I promise” he replied and then grinned wolfishly, glancing at my lips.  
“Good, now kiss me” I murmured.  
He wasn’t one to waste time. He deftly clicked my seatbelt open and pulled me into his lap. I bumped into the horn of the car but it wasn’t important. All that was important was that he was kissing me, that my hands were smoothing through his hair and his hands were holding me so tight that I instantly felt safer. I took a deep breath over his mouth and I felt the vibrations of his groan vibrate through my chest and into my toes. He moved his mouth, his lips kissing down my jaw and nuzzling at my neck. I felt a giggle build up in my chest when he nipped at my neck. I knew I’d be covered in hickeys by the time we got to the house. Not that I was complaining of course. His lips moved lower and lower, I was holding my breath that he’d start unzipping my jacket but alas luck was not on my side, that or Bucky had the most self- control in the universe. He was still steadfast in his refusal for us to move to next base. I suppose that came with being a grandpa on the inside, he was due to celebrate his 99th birthday soon. 

 

Billings was a lovely city, I mean it had nothing on New York or the little that I’d seen of Chicago but it still had its own charm. I mean how many cities were surrounded by six mountain ranges? It was all lit up- the Crowne Plaza and Wells Fargo buildings stood out above the others. We kept driving until we left the city and the large suburban areas behind. We drove up into the base of the hills, up through a winding road until I was certain we were going to drive off a cliff to our deaths. I was thankful that I wasn’t the one driving, I hadn’t had nearly enough experience driving especially since I’d only acquired my license two months before. New Yorker through and through. What could I say?  
The sun was rising when we finally got to the house, if you could call it just a house. There was an ornate black gate which required the pin number that my father had sent. Bucky glanced at my phone for a second and typed it in. I swear this guy took super spy to new levels every day. I shook my head and couldn’t help spotting the two cameras mounted on both sides of the gate.  
We drove down the long driveway which sloped down steeply and we came upon the house. I craned my neck to see properly. Bucky chuckled but I just stuck my tongue out at him and kept looking. The house was a massive glass and wooden structure. There were cedar beams and glass protruding from every inch of the house and it looked like the front door was a massive oriental style antique. Bucky pulled up around the house and parked at the back.  
I jumped out of the car to have a better look the second the car was stopped. I mean I had grown up in the upper east side of New York with vacations in the Hamptons and St Tropez but this house was still amazing. I’d been expecting to hole up in some dingy motel like we’d done when we’d last gone underground but I guess that would change when the CIA was aiding and abetting you.  
When we finally got to unpack (Bucky insisted on separate rooms for fear of my father but agreed that there would definitely be exceptions), there was no point going back to sleep so we settled in with some breakfast. It was incredible actually, the house was fully stocked with both food, supplies and weapons (the latter to Bucky’s delight, he had been disappointed to leave his knives back in Chicago). It was just as high tech as it looked from the outside with computers in every room, a fully working gym and an entirely industrial style kitchen. We sat down around the kitchen table and got to work, coffee steaming in huge mugs beside us.  
I opened my backpack and pulled out the stuff I’d been working on for the last few weeks: maps and blueprints, public funding records and pictures of social interaction. We’d chosen Montana because we could disappear but also because just a few miles away in Wyoming was what we suspected was a huge military base run by Hydra. It was where I suspected Sebastian and his footmen were now holed up, looking for any sign of us.  
We were in Billings so we could drive across the border to do reconnaissance and eventually demobilize the Hydra base so they would be forced to retreat over the border to Mexico where my father suspected was a secondary North American base. That was just the first part of our plan, our second part was to destroy or seize the weapons that Hydra had and to either kill or imprison their leader, who according to prevailing intelligence was now Sebastian Carter. My twisted, sadistic and murderous ex- boyfriend. Hydra worked mainly as a monarchy with a supporting council to help the selected leader. Sebastian was the obvious choice as the eldest and only son of the former leader of Hydra in North America Andrew Carter, the fact that he’d excelled at the training and already apparently had a seat on the council was already in his favor. There were rumors that before the European leader of Hydra, a man only referred to as Herr Strucker had been killed by Ultron in Sokovia, he’d already shown support for Sebastian. I’d even found surveillance photos of Sebastian, looking dapper as ever at Strucker’s state funeral in Bavaria.  
That was another thing, since I’d been initiated into the CIA I’d been allowed to continue my research into the Avengers. I’d read up on everything that had occurred in New York with Loki two years before as well as the issues with Ultron in Sokovia and with the Hulk in Africa. Bucky had also been helpful, supplying me with missing details especially on Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff and of course, his long-time friend Steve Rogers.  
It had taken time to talk about Steve of course because every time he spoke of him, it brought up painful memories. From what he had talked about, he said Steve was one of the best and most honest people he’d ever met. He told tales of the many times he’d talked Steve out of fights and how Steve had slept on his couch many times after a night out to the movies or to a party and his penchant for putting newspapers in his shoes. Steve had been heroic even before he joined the army. Sure Bucky or James as I’d found out was really his given name, had enlisted out of duty and a desire to impress the ladies as he put it to my ire but Steve had lived and breathed the army.  
He’d tried to enlist and he was knocked back several times but each time he kept at it and even when he had eventually become Captain America, he was still the same person, still so generous and forgiving. I loved the light that would come into his eyes when he talked about Steve, it was as if I caught a glimpse of the person he had been before Hydra and the war had torn his life up. I was desperate for Bucky to reconnect with Steve but I could tell that wasn’t going to happen any time soon because Bucky would clam up each time I suggested it.  
He would change the subject and in time I learned that I just had to let it go. I guess a lot of time had passed since they had last been friends and so much had happened but it was still a mystery to me why Bucky was so against seeing his best friend again. I could see that he was lonely and needed someone to talk to but he just wouldn’t let himself heal. It made me wonder what he would do when our mission was completed, I felt like he used his hatred towards Hydra as a distraction from getting on with his life. Sure there was nothing wrong with that but I just didn’t want him to lose his purpose or not know who he was without the Winter Soldier.


	3. Chapter Three

It was an early night for us because we were so sleep deprived. I slept in Bucky’s bed, too exhausted to do anything other than fall asleep with my head on his chest. It turned out to be a fitful night, Bucky was tossing and turning so much that it finally woke me up at four in the morning. The room was dark but light from the moon was falling right onto Bucky- I could see right away that there was something wrong. He was breathing heavily and his bare chest was covered in sweat, his dark hair plastered to his face. He appeared to be whimpering and shaking his head. I stroked his face and tried to murmur something soothing but it just got worse. He appeared to recoil and shake more violently until his eyes flew open and he rolled over me, his steel left forearm pressed to my neck.  
I didn’t even have time to react, I just stared up into his wild eyes in panic.  
His eyes cleared and he moved his arm away. I caught my breath but before I knew it, he had leaned down and pressed his lips onto mine. He kissed me hard and I retaliated with a passion to match his own, my tongue twining with his, he tasted sweet and salty as always. He pressed a leg in between my legs and caught my hands in his over my head while his lips moved lower and lower. I breathed in deeply taking in his scent, sharp and masculine mixed with a light tang of musk. He let go of my hands and stroked down my pyjama top, his thumbs rubbing circles on my ribs through the thin cotton camisole. His fingers darted down and started unbuttoning my shirt deftly. My breaths came faster and faster, my heartbeat loud in my ears. I felt heat dart up my spine as he finished unbuttoning it and I felt his gaze rake over my bare chest. His eyes darted up and met mine, I saw a mixture of longing and lust in his eyes, I looked away, my cheeks heating up. He leaned up to press a kiss to my lips and moved down my torso, stopping at the waistband of my pants. He nuzzled my stomach and I giggled. What? I couldn’t help it.  
He looked back up at me, a mock scowl on his face.  
“I’m trying to be seductive here young lady” he growled.  
“Well you know that time when you tied me up back in New York”?  
He nodded, his cheek pressed into my tummy.  
“You were pretty seductive then”.  
He thought about this for a moment, his face serious.  
“You know that time when I caught you touching me in the bath tub”?  
My face flushed in embarrassment as I remembered.  
“Yes” I asked.  
“Well I didn’t want you to stop, I actually wanted to pull you in the tub and have my way with you”.  
“I would have enjoyed it you know”.  
He sat up and started doing my buttons back up.  
“I don’t doubt it” he murmured.  
I was protesting on the inside, my body still thrumming with need but I knew the time would come when it was right so I let him button my shirt.  
I sat up when he was done and pulled him into a hug.  
We didn’t speak for the longest time, I just sat there with him, watching the room get lighter and lighter.  
“What did you dream about”? I murmured into his shoulder.  
He stiffened up but I didn’t let go. Not this time.  
“You promised that you would talk to me remember”?  
I felt his smile on my shoulder.  
“That didn’t count, it was under duress”.  
“I’m always under duress around you”.  
He laughed.  
“Alright, I’ll tell you but you have to promise not to treat me any differently”.  
I pulled back to look at him, his eyes were guarded and weary.  
“Why would I treat you any differently”?  
He shrugged his shoulders.  
I just sighed.  
“Of course I promise not to treat you any differently”.  
He clenched his jaw and pushed his hair out of his eyes nervously.  
It was comical that he would care what I thought so much. I mean he was the Winter Soldier, he was a veritable assassin but he was a skittish little boy when it came to telling me about his nightmares.  
“I was dreaming about my time in Ukraine, well it wasn’t Ukraine back then it was all Russia” he corrected himself.  
I nodded to show him that he should continue.  
“It was the first time they used the electro therapy on me, they showed me pictures of America and all things to do with my old life. They even showed me pictures of Steve” his voice broke and his eyes were flat and distant but when they met mine, I saw there were unshed tears in them.  
I just put my hand in his and squeezed his hand.  
It was all one could do when the weight of the world got too much.

Bucky fell asleep before I did for once, his eyes fluttering shut and his breathing becoming more and more even. I watched the creases in his forehead smooth and his face took on the youthful and sweet disposition that only sleep can bring. I could have watched him forever. It filled me with such peace to see him sleep without the horrors of his past intruding  
I fell into a deep sleep soon after (forever was shorter than I thought) and when I woke, it was ten and Bucky was gone. I showered and wandered downstairs, the smell of frying bacon making my stomach rumble.  
Bucky was standing at the stove and he was covered in sweat, his dark hair plastered to the back of his neck.  
He turned when I walked in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
“Good morning” I said stifling a yawn.  
“Good morning”.  
“Did you go work out or something”? I asked gesturing to his sweat soaked person as well as a half empty bottle of Gatorade on the metal kitchen bench.  
“Yeah I went for a run, did you know there’s a whole reserve out there”?  
I shook my head.  
“Yeah it’s great, one day you should come with me”.  
I made a face and he laughed.  
My work out routine was limited to Pilates and a basic thirty minute circuit and that itself was a new thing for me. I’d only forced myself to keep at it because I was now a CIA agent and all. I hated working out but I hated working out more with Bucky. He was notoriously competitive and loved everything that I loathed. He loved weights and running- the things I dreaded the most. I suppose it explained how toned his body was despite eating fried bacon almost every day- it was like his favorite food.  
“I swear, I’m going to balloon up if you keep cooking bacon every day. It’ll go straight to my ass”. I stepped forward and swiped a piece off his heaped plate anyway.  
He raised an eyebrow.  
“Who says that’s a bad thing”?  
I just swatted his arm playfully while he laughed, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.  
“Not all of us want to work out every day”.  
“It’s because I run a tight ship and you can’t keep up” he teased.  
“No its not, its because you’re competitive as hell and I can’t work out with you without risk of dying”.  
Our conversation was interrupted when my sat phone rang- it could only be my father.  
“Hello” I answered.  
“Good morning Clara, I’m just calling you to check in. How are things”?  
“My father” I mouthed to Bucky and walked away to sit at the kitchen table.  
“Things are good, I trust that Hydra is still looking for us in Chicago”? The way that we had escaped from Hydra was still troubling me.  
“Yes they are, they’re still combing airport records from what I’ve heard but listen, you have a bigger problem”.  
I held my breath and glanced at Bucky troubled.  
“The FBI has also put out an alert on James” (he insisted on calling Bucky James) “they’re working in coalition with several third parties- one probably being Hydra and us. Of course they have no idea that we’re hiding him but I just want you to know that you have someone else on your tail now”.  
I let out the breath I’d been holding shakily. Great, another bunch of people wanted my boyfriend dead. It sucked but it wasn’t something we couldn’t deal with, it would just make things more difficult than before.  
“It’s a DOA alert right (dead or alive)”?  
“Yes it is and they’re pushing or rather their contacts with Hydra are pushing for a news alert and for Interpol to be made aware”.  
I gasped and Bucky looked up, concern evident on his face.  
“You’re blocking that right though”?  
“Yes we are, we carry much more weight with the FBI so we’re doing everything we can to impede and slow down their investigation”.  
“Good, what does this mean for the rest of our mission”?  
“Your reconnaissance is down to three days maximum”.  
“Three days”!? We’d been planning on using two weeks to recon in Wyoming and having it cut down to three was going to throw a huge spanner in the works.  
“Yes, it’s far too dangerous to have you poking around in case they plant spies in the area”.  
“Okay but how are we going to gather the necessary information”?  
“Other agents will be placed in to do the remaining recon and will supply you with the information you need”.  
“Do you know what could have caused this”?  
“Its not exactly confirmed but I’ll be boarding a flight to Washington tonight. There’s something called the Sokovia accords. Due to the trouble caused both in Sokovia and in Africa with the whole Hulk fiasco, the government is being forced to crack down on the Avengers activity. In particular Captain Rogers- they won’t go after Tony Stark because he has too many ties to powerful people. The whole state is in lockdown- there’s talk of a fast spreading air borne virus and a man called Crossbones- a terrorist and this is what’s fueling the furor. The Government is under pressure and in turn they have put pressure on the FBI and this is the result”.  
I swallowed nervously and berated myself for not paying more attention to the news the last few days. I was supposed to be an agent for Christ’s sake!  
“I’ve decided to sweeten the deal by throwing in two things”.  
“What? This had better be good Dad”.  
“There’s an FBI and Hydra dinner scheduled in five days in LA, you and James will attend. You will gain contact with the right people, impress them and a further tour of the compound in Wyoming will ensue”.  
There was silence on the phone line as my jaw dropped. This would be incredibly dangerous, there was a high chance we could be recognized and seized by either Hydra or the FBI or both. We would have to have covers and pray to God that Sebastian chose not to attend the event or we were dead. I was also shocked that my father would agree to this, things in Washington must have been desperate indeed.  
“Dad, that sounds great but I’m just shocked that you’re letting me do this on my own”.  
“Believe me Clara, if there was any other way to get the best and most amount of information without taking such a risk, I would have thought of it. Besides, I think it’s high time that I trusted you a little more. You’ve proven yourself capable time and time again, especially since I hear Sebastian was in Washington DC and I’ve learned enough to know when someone has found their fight. This is yours”.  
I couldn’t believe those words were coming out of my father’s mouth, that Marcus Smith was trusting me, seeing me as an agent rather than his nosy and crazy daughter. Six months ago I could never have foreseen that this would happen in a million years.  
“How’s James”?  
I shook my head to clear it.  
“Uh yeah he’s fine, he’s right here if you want to talk to him”.  
My father chuckled.  
“No its okay, I don’t need to talk to him. Isn’t it enough that he’s stolen my daughter from me already”?  
“Dad” I groaned.  
“Don’t get me wrong Clara, I like the man. I like him too much for someone so old dating my daughter but it doesn’t mean your old man can’t get a little grumpy about it now and then”.  
“I know Dad but you’ll always have me. No one could steal me away”.  
“I know” there was a pause as he switched back to his professional voice.  
“Other agents will be in contact to talk logistics but I expect a full report when you get back from Los Angeles”.  
“Yes Dad”.  
“Tell James he’s a dead man to the CIA too if anything happens to you”.  
“Dad” I groaned again.  
“You have no appreciation for jokes anymore Clara, you spend too much time with James”.  
“Bye Dad”.  
“Bye Clara”.

I turned to relay the news to Bucky, his face was impassive and he seemed to expect what was happening. He only reacted when I mentioned the government was trying to discredit Captain Rogers and he lost some of his colour, his skin paling. He was just as surprised as I had been when I told him my father’s plan for us to infiltrate the party in LA and gain access to the base.  
“Well if the party’s on Friday, we have to start our recon today”.  
I nodded my head. Bucky was right.  
“Aren’t you worried at all about the FBI”? I asked.  
He got up and put his plate into the sink. I was still struggling to teach him how to load the dishwasher.  
“No, I think Hydra’s the bigger threat. We can’t get distracted”.  
I bit my lip. While I agreed that Hydra was the bigger threat, the FBI sounded like they could be a real thorn in our side.  
He walked past me but turned back to look at me.  
“You know what I said before about listening to me, it still stands”.  
I frowned at him.  
“What makes you think I won’t listen to you”?  
“Experience that’s all. Plus you show all your thoughts on your face”. He chucked me under the chin before walking away.

We were holed up our Jeep, parked across the street from what was the back side of Hydra’s base. It was dressed up as a coal research facility from the outside but that was just a front. The building was the nicest thing in the whole of Sheridan, a sleepy little town just past the border of Wyoming and surrounded by the Big Horn Mountains.  
The base was all modern and went back over several blocks with a glittering tinted façade. The only thing that spoiled the effect of a big city high rise building was an electrified fence and high cameras mounted on each corner of the building. We were parked just outside the range of them but we were still wary. I flipped through the brochure that we’d picked up from the town hall earlier, it was lengthy and spoke of all the wonderful work it did in the coal mining world of Wyoming and the Midwest.  
Bucky opened the case in his lap, taking out his camera and adjusting the lens. Two men in dark suits were leaving the building, caught deep in conversation so much that they didn’t look anywhere near us.  
“What do you think they’re talking about”? I asked.  
“I don’t know but they look out of place. I would say they look like suits from the FBI or even one of your Dad’s from the CIA”.  
I glanced at him in surprise.  
“What makes you say that”?  
He shook his head and put his camera down.  
“I don’t know, they don’t look armed. The people who work in the base would be in gear”.  
I opened the folder the CIA had left us with back at the house and flicked through the photos.  
Bucky was right. All the other people in the surveillance photos looked like the usual types- sure their gear had the facility’s logo embroidered on their clothes but it was still army gear and if you looked closely you could see some had hands laid on pockets where they had guns or knives hidden.  
“You’re right. Look” I passed him the book and took the camera from him, getting ready to take more photos.  
“Yeah, from what I know, Hydra’s goons always look like goons. They’re easy to spot yes but they’re always ready for a fight”.  
I was troubled by the possibility that they could be here already. They must have been deeper in with Hydra than we’d realized, what if they managed to push through the Interpol and media release request? I felt that familiar sensation that told me that there was something sinister about the FBI’s involvement and that we should tread carefully. It was the same sensation that had told me to look at the picture of the star shredded in my father’s office six months before. When we got back to the house, I would make sure to read more on the recent activities of the FBI.  
“We should get a more recent blueprint of the base”.  
“Leave that to me”. Bucky had a mysterious contact that he claimed could get any blue print or map for any building in the United States. I just shrugged and looked away, it was probably the same mystery contact that he had met with in Washington DC.  
“What do you think our covers are gonna be”? I asked. I was a little excited that I was getting a cover, I’d never had one and it seemed like everything I’d always dreamed being an agent would be like. We would meet the agents back at the house where they would brief us on what they knew about the party and our covers.  
“I don’t know and I’m not looking forward to finding out. I’ve never been a spy”.  
“Oh I don’t know, you can be pretty intimidating. You have oppressive silences and death stares down to a T”. I teased.  
“It’s an art you know. It doesn’t come over night”.  
I just giggled. He had sarcasm down pat too.  
My research on all the files on my laptop, the computer in the house and all the papers we had been given turned up nothing. Nothing at all. Some of them had been taken from the FBIs files as recently as a few days before but it still didn’t mention anything about the Winter Soldier, the Sokovia accords or any associations with Hydra. It was as if someone had gone through with a fine toothed comb and taken out everything important, everything that could have helped us. This meant that I would have to corner an FBI agent at the party and talk to them about it but that all depended on how good my cover would be. I decided to call my Dad.  
He picked up on the first ring.  
“Hello Clara, is everything alright”?  
“Yes its all fine Dad but I keep thinking about the FBI”.  
“What about them”?  
I hesitated unsure of how to broach the topic.  
“How are things in Washington”?  
“It’s just chaos, same as usual”.  
“Dad, I think that this whole thing about the FBI is really bothering me”.  
“In what way? They seem to be the same as usual, pushing for answers and decisions but we’ve been holding them off”.  
“Are you sure they have no idea that you’re helping us, that the CIA is not involved”?  
“Yes, they’… He paused for a moment.  
“Now that I think about it, Malcom kept talking about rumors he’d heard about James but everyone just brushed him off”. Malcom was the head of the FBI and a rival of my father’s since they’d gone to Harvard together thirty or so years before.  
“They know you have a link to Bucky through me because of that unfortunate news alert from six months ago” I sniped. I still hadn’t entirely gotten over my father making me an international fugitive.  
He ignored the sally.  
“Yes but they still think you’re holed up on a yacht in Cancun with some feigned boy. Our agents have even posted on your Instagram for you”.  
“Really, Cancun Dad”?  
“What? All the Upper East Side kids go there. Why should you be any different? Besides I convinced him it was all some big misunderstanding that we broadcasted the wrong Clara Smith”.  
“I don’t know, it just feels like they know more than they’re letting on. We saw two suits outside the Hydra facility just today”.  
“Look Clara, if you’re really worried, why don’t you do some digging”?  
“I have, there’s nothing in the stuff we have. Nothing about Sokovia, Hydra or Bucky. Its as if its all been wiped clean”.  
My Dad was silent for a moment.  
“That is really suspicious. If I remember correctly Malcom has a daughter just your age, I think she goes to NYU too. Her name was Gen, Glen”.  
“Gwen I corrected. Gwen Evans”. It had come as quite a shock to me when I’d found out by accident while perusing old FBI files a few months before to come across that titbit of information. I’d seen him at a family event with her that verified it. At the time it was all just a happy coincidence but I must admit it was now making me uneasy.  
“Hmm, I’ll get my team to look into it and see what they can find. All I can tell you is to keep digging and to tread carefully. Oh and uh listen to what James says”.  
Why did everyone think I wouldn’t listen to Bucky?  
“Sure Dad, thanks. Bye”.  
When we got back to the house, I sat in my room and thought about what my father had said. I took out my notepad and started a mind map with the words Hydra and FBI in the center of the page. I didn’t get very far because Bucky soon came up to tell me that the agents were at the gates and would soon brief us on the party.


	4. Chapter Four

The agents were two that I'd never seen before, a man and a woman who looked like they were still in their twenties. The man was serious looking, short and dark haired, he introduced himself as Agent nine. The woman, a slim blonde said she was Agent thirteen but nervously said we could call her Sharon.   
Bucky and I sat down at the kitchen bench while the smartly dressed duo stood in front of us and briefed us on our covers. Sharon began first by addressing me.  
"Now neither of you have had covers before right"? We both shook our heads in the negative.  
"It's important to remember that your covers will be two people that are expected to be at the party but won't attend because they work for us. Clara, you will be"... She broke off as she rummaged through her briefcase and pulled out a manila file.  
"Theresa Grey, a bio organics scientist who works for the FBI but has an interest in joining Hydra. She was invited to the party last minute by a male coworker named Ian Foxglove. They both work in a research facility in Billings, Montana". She handed me the file and I flicked through it, coming across a photo of Theresa, a pretty youthful looking red head with blue eyes.  
"At least Montana will be easy to remember”.  
Sharon smiled reassuringly.  
There was also a photo of Ian, a handsome dimpled man with sandy blonde hair. I couldn't believe he was already a member of such a heinous organization like Hydra, looks could indeed be deceiving.  
"James, can I call you James"?   
I looked up just as Bucky nodded curtly.   
"You will be Christian Burke, an analyst from the CIA in Salt Lake City. He was invited to the party by a cousin of Ian actually, a Kevin Conners but you're lucky that Kevin won't be attending. He's too ill and luckily he actually wants out of Hydra so he agreed to help Christian”.  
I leaned over to glance at Christian who turned out to be a pimply, white blonde man child with watery green eyes.   
I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips and in response, Bucky turned wordlessly to glower at me and I had to bite my lip to keep calm.  
I caught Sharon's eye and I swear I caught a glimpse of mirth but it was gone when she turned to Agent nine and asked him to brief us.  
He cleared his throat.  
"So, the party is going to be held at the Beverly Wiltshire".   
I couldn't help gasping at that. The Beverly Wiltshire was one of the best hotels in the world and I'd died of envy when the Marissa's and Gwens had thrown a party there at the end of high school.  
"You will take a flight in two days’ time and have the day before to travel and acquaint yourselves with the Los Angeles area. Have either of you ever been to LA"?  
I shook my head and so did Bucky.   
"I suspected as such. Now, the party will guests will be a mixture of Hydra, FBI and CIA personnel. The CIA agents will know of your presence but it's imperative that you don't reveal yourself or drop your cover at all during the night. To anyone”. Agent nine fixed his sharp gaze on me and I couldn't help feeling a little resentful. Why did everyone assume the worst of me?   
I coughed and Agent nine looked away.  
"You will be speaking to the person who invited you Clara but apart from that, your aim will be to find out as much as you can about the base in Sheridan and about Hydra's plans in the near future".  
Yeah that would be the aim but I would also be digging for more information on the FBI and their plans concerning Hydra, I still wasn't convinced that the Hydra was the biggest threat.  
Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Bucky glance at my face for a few seconds before looking away. I felt my ears heat up and I hoped that he wouldn't ask me about it later.  
"Is all of that understood or will you be needing any more clarification"?  
Bucky spoke up.  
"How long are we staying in Los Angeles"?  
"You will be staying for the night. I expect that you'll be invited to Sheridan if all goes well in the next few days or weeks after the party."  
He nodded and I asked the question that had bothered me the most.  
"Will the leader of Hydra, ah Sebastian Carter be attending the party"?   
Agent nine shook his head.  
"He's not expected to attend, as far as we know he's still in Sokovia overseeing the new election of the leader of the European chapter of Hydra".  
I saw Sharon shoot me a sympathetic glance. I'm sure she knew of our history, it was unfortunately common knowledge at the CIA since the Smithsonian. The CIA was thorough if anything.  
The rest of the meeting was just talking about more logistics, our flights, gear and a rundown of the basics about the hotel in case we had to leave in a hurry. They handed over our plane tickets, IDs and credit cards as well as the devices that would be our covers. This was the part I was the most curious about, I'd heard that the tech team at what had been SHIELD, had developed new technology that could enable the user to change their face for a few hours at a time. I'd heard that it had been possessed by the former leader of SHIELD but had been seized by the government after the incident with the helicarriers almost a year ago.   
The tech turned out to be a soft fleshy colorless face mask covered in tiny white dots in a zip lock bag. I couldn't help voicing my disappointment but Sharon assured me that it would be well worth it when we saw the finished effect, an excited gleam in her eye.  
They gave us small bags filled with everything we'd need in the way of tech. Bucky and I just looked at each other and opened the bags eager to see what they would provide in the way of goodies.  
Inside was what looked like a Louis Vuitton large make-up case (which Sharon assured me was the tech) was a tiny ceramic gun with a silencer, a mini laser which looked like eyeliner, a small metal disk which I was informed by Agent nine was a fingerprint forger, a pack of fifty tiny gold hairpins which were bugs and could listen to any conversation in a fifty mile radius and tweezers with obsidian edges that were sharper than almost any knife. I loved the tech and couldn't wait to use it all but the more sensible part of me realized that things would have to go terribly wrong for me have need of them at all.  
Bucky's tech was kept in a smart looking toiletry bag and apart from the silencer and ceramic gun his kit was completely different from mine. He had at least a dozen black mini knives with diamond hard tips and three tiny magnetic ball bearings which Bucky told me were magnetized explosives. He also appeared to have a gun accessory which when attached to his gun would create a mini rocket launcher and last but not least, he had a mirror that could read the data given off by my bugs. I swear I'd never seen him look so happy, he even had a little smile on his face and cracked a joke with Sharon. It's crazy, give a guy dangerous weapons and he'd be as happy as a clam.   
Weirdly enough after the brief was done, Sharon came upstairs with me to put away my new mission supplies and requested a word. I was taken aback but agreed mainly out of curiosity.  
"So what did you want to talk to me about"?  
"It's about James, is he in contact with Captain Rogers by any chance"?  
"No, he hasn't seen him since the whole incident at SHIELD, why"?  
She looked around and then lowered her voice.  
"I know that Steve is looking for him and that he should try to get back into contact with him. I know it's not really my place but after all that's happened I think that they should stick together".  
I nodded grimly.  
"I keep trying to get him to contact him but he just won't budge. It's tough to understand but I've just let it go, I'm sure time will fix things".  
She nodded but still looked troubled.  
"Captain Rogers has enemies but there's one in particular that's bothering me. Have you heard of Crossbones”?  
I nodded.  
"Yes I have heard of him. He's the one in charge of the chaos in DC at the moment, didn't he release the virus"?  
"Yes but it's far worse than that. He was part of something called Team Strike, they worked under Alexander Pierce".  
I felt my blood run cold. Alexander Pierce had been Bucky's old boss at Hydra, a cold blooded reptile, he had been the one to authorize Bucky's torture and had tried to manipulate him into killing Steve, I was just glad he was dead.  
"Yes. He was an awful man ".  
"Well I always disliked him, I used to work at SHIELD before I moved to the CIA, in fact I was still there when the whole fallout with Captain Rogers happened. Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that I think that this Crossbones is the same man who used to work under Pierce, he was known both to James and Captain Rogers as someone else though". She pulled out a photo of a muscular dark haired man with olive skin and mean looking eyes.   
"He would have been called Brock Rumlow to both of them".  
I looked up at her from the photo.  
"Are you trying to say that this man, this Brock Rumlow is now calling himself Crossbones and is an enemy of both Bu-James and Captain America"?  
She nodded her head.  
"I know you have a lot on your plate but I just thought you should know, he's vicious and he'll stop at nothing to hurt Captain Rogers, he'll even use James to do it. Hydra was his life and both of them helped take it away from him".  
"How do you know that he's Crossbones but my father doesn't even know that"?  
"It's because he was burnt to a crisp when the old SHIELD building went down, we thought that he would die but I've looked into it. He checked out of the Washington hospital months ago and hasn't been seen or heard from since. It was just a theory until I saw the videos".  
"Videos"? I asked.  
"The ransom videos, he's been putting them out since the first wave of virus hit three days ago. He keeps asking for Captain Rogers to be brought to him or he'll spread more of the virus. I recognized his voice".  
"Why are you telling me this"?  
"I'm telling you this because I think he's dangerous but there's nothing I can really do to stop him. Sure I could tell my boss at the CIA but chances are it will be too late to stop him from hurting more people. You however can make a difference, Captain Rogers is weaker without a good team around him. He needs James by his side or he risks losing him again". She pressed the photo into my hand.  
"Take it, at least talk to James about what I said but be careful, last time I confronted Brock Rumlow he gave me this". She pulled back the cuff of her sleeve and showed me a puckered pink scar which stretched from the base of her hand to most of her wrist.  
"Why do you care so much about what happens between Captain Rogers and James"?  
She'd shown a fire in her eyes when she'd been talking to me and I couldn't help but wonder why.  
"Let's just say Captain Rogers made an impression on me at SHIELD". She half smiled.  
"Thank you for telling me and I'll see what I can do". She nodded her head and walked out of the room.   
I took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of my barely used bed.  
What Sharon had said was deeply troubling and created an extra layer of problems for Bucky and I. If it was true that this Crossbones was really known to both Bucky and Captain Rogers then it was just a matter of time till he found us. The CIA wasn't wily enough to protect him from Hydra, the FBI and a highly trained Hydra hound gone rogue. We needed Captain Rogers, only he could help Bucky stay safe from all three threats plus it wouldn't be a bad thing to add to what was really shaping up to be an army of two. Well one, Bucky was convinced that I was barking up the wrong tree with my FBI angle and I was unwilling to share my theory until I had more solid proof. No we needed Steve Rogers, plus with everything going on with the government and Crossbones, he was also in danger. It would be no picnic to convince Bucky though, it was hard enough convincing him to talk to me about his nightmares, how could I convince him to see the person he'd been running from for as long as I'd known him?  
That night after Bucky and I went to bed, hours after the agents had left, I sat up for the longest time thinking about what Sharon had told me. I went onto my laptop and watched the Crossbones’ demands on YouTube. Even though I couldn't see much because he was in full gear and the lighting was dark, I could see how the man in the video could have been him. He had the same build, form and manner. He was also terrifying to watch, I couldn't believe that Bucky could have been in this man's presence for an extended period of time. It just made me understand why he was so closed off to the world at times. When you were exposed to the worst side of human nature, it would be easy to lose faith in all humanity. I couldn’t stop his menacing words about a “Star spangled Aries” from echoing eerily in my head.


	5. Chapter Five

I slipped back into bed soon after that but I didn't lie there for long before Bucky's movements and labored breathing woke me up again. His face was twisted as if he was in pain and his skin was slick from sweat once again. I stroked his brow and just waited for it to subside so I could wake him up. He began to pitch slightly off the bed, he became more frantic and his groans became louder. That was when I decided that I couldn't watch him anymore and started tapping his chest and calling his name until his eyes fluttered open.  
He sat up and I sat back against the headboard of the bed, waiting for him to catch his breath.  
"How long was I like that"?  
I shook my head.  
"Not long, about five minutes since I came back to bed".  
"Oh".  
Silence descended again but I couldn't help wondering what he had dreamed about.  
Instead he said something I totally wasn't expecting.  
"Where did you go"?  
I bit my lip. I wasn't going to lie to Bucky but I wasn't ready to have the conversation about Crossbones and Steve Rogers so soon. I had been hoping to have more time to avoid the situation before kind of having no choice but to tell him.  
"I went to look up some more stuff on the computer".  
He looked at me and suddenly leaned closer to me as if studying me. I swallowed nervously and he pulled back to switch on the side lamp. I closed my eyes for a moment before he asked another question.  
"What stuff on the computer"?  
Shit.  
He knew I was hiding something from him, oh God how was I going to get out of this?  
I decided to stall for time.  
"What was your dream about"? I shot back.  
He just raised his eyebrows and I couldn't help feeling guilty that I was hiding things from him. He had given me no choice.  
He tilted his head to the left, his blue eyes dark and an odd expression on his face.  
"What aren't you telling me Clara? Is it what you disappeared so long in your room to talk to Sharon about"?  
I blushed and avoided his eyes.  
"I'm not hiding anything from you". My voice came out higher, my words faster than I'd intended.  
Oh God why did I have to suck at lying so bad? I could lie to my Dad, the head of the CIA but I couldn't lie to Bucky?  
He moved closer to me on the bed, he put his hands on either side of the headboard so he could scrutinize me closely and reduced his voice to almost a whisper.  
"Come on Clara, tell me". He nuzzled my neck, his lips soft and his stubble tickling my collarbone.  
"Stop it" I whined even as my eyes slid shut and my breathing grew labored. "There's nothing to tell". Jesus Christ, why was he doing this to me, I already was a terrible liar and I'd never been able to refuse him anything, especially when he got like this.  
He looked up, his eyes drawing my gaze like a magnet. He leaned forward and kissed my ear, whispering my name as he pulled away. Oh God he smelled so good and his lips could induce trance like behavior on a good day!  
"Come on, you've been hiding something all day. Tell me what it is".  
I felt my palms go sweaty and I looked away.  
He put his metal hand under my chin and tilted my face up to look at him.  
"Tell me Clara, you know I'll find out anyway, when could you ever hide anything from me"?  
He had a little smirk on his face as he said it.  
"Oh fine" I relented miserably. I didn't know how much more of this torture I could take.  
"You really are the devil you know". He just smiled.  
"Let me get something first and I swear I'll tell you everything I know".  
He looked as if he was going to refuse but he let me go.  
I retrieved the photo from my room and came back to Bucky's room.  
"You have to promise you'll hear me out though".  
He narrowed his eyes but nodded.  
I decided to start with my theory about the FBI.  
"Look, I know that you think that the real problem is Hydra and all of that but I feel like the FBI could be a problem as well. I did some more digging into our files on the FBI and I can't find anything about Sokovia, us or anything suspicious at all. It's as if they've been wiped clean".  
He frowned thoughtfully.  
"That does sound weird. Maybe you should talk to your father".  
I sat down on the bed.  
"The thing is, I did talk to my father and he also thinks it's strange, he's getting somebody to look into it and he advised me to keep looking".  
"Hmmm".  
"I thought it was weird when we saw those suits in Sheridan, plus I also thought that Hydra's behavior in DC was off, it's like they let us go, I mean I don't know how that's related yet but I've got a feeling it's all linked".  
"You know I think you might be right" he scratched his jaw absently. "I think that the FBI being extra careful doesn't bode well for us. It means they know more than they're letting on and are hiding something".  
"I know and it's scaring me that my father doesn't know everything. I feel like they're building a trap, like we agreed on the plane, plus I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet".  
He raised his eyebrows.  
"I found out a while ago that the head of the FBI’s daughter goes to NYU with me plus there's already a known link to Hydra. She was friends or more than that with Sebastian. In fact" I paused reluctant to talk about my relationship with Sebastian.  
"Go on".  
"She's the one who caused Sebastian and I to break up, he was cheating on me the entire time with her".  
"Jesus, he really was an asshole even before you found out about the Hydra stuff".  
I nodded.  
It had been worse than that but I was unwilling to admit how much of a fool he'd made me to Bucky.  
"So you see why I'm suspicious, at first I thought it was just a coincidence but now I'm not so sure".  
"Yes I do, in fact if you had told me earlier I would have listened to you. Why did you hide this from me"?  
"I wasn't really hiding it from you. I just wanted to tell you when I had more proof".  
He was quiet for a moment before looking at me again.  
"What does that have to do with Sharon though"?  
I bit my lip and in that moment I could have crawled under a rock.  
"What did you dream about"?  
His face lost some of its colour and he pushed his hair back off his face.  
"You promised to talk to me".  
"Just like you told me about all of this"?  
I shrank back, feeling a little bit guilty.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to but I just wanted you to take me seriously". I replied in a small voice.  
He looked at me with remorse in his eyes.  
"I'm sorry Clara, I know you didn't, I shouldn't take it out on you".  
He grasped my hand in his and I squeezed it reassuringly.  
"Tell me, it's the only way it'll get better".  
He looked away from me, his eyes distant and he spoke in that unattached voice he used when describing his torments at the hands of Hydra or when talking about his bad dreams.  
"My dream was about them again, it was about the last time they gave me ESP, in the bank vault in DC, the same videos you saw a few months ago".  
I shivered a little as I remembered it, Bucky writhing as they electrocuted him repeatedly until he was a shell of himself. I just pulled him close and held him tight, scared that he would disappear any moment. My life had never been the same since that night when he'd appeared so unceremoniously in my apartment, it scared me to think that it had been so close to not happening, that if Hydra had won, we never would have met and I would still be being tormented by Sebastian except I would have had to have dealt with him on my own. I never would have known the monster that he really was.  
Bucky pulled away too soon and I reluctantly let him go.  
"You haven't told me about Sharon".  
I closed my eyes and just took out the photo of Brock Rumlow that Sharon had given me.  
"Do you know this man"?  
His face went pale and I regretted showing him the photo.  
"Yes I do, he used to work under Alexander Pierce. In fact he was there in the bank vault".  
He looked at me and I saw understanding in his eyes.  
"But you already knew that didn't you"?  
I nodded.  
"Sharon told me. She also said that he's the one responsible for what's happening in DC with the virus at the moment. His name is Brock Rumlow".  
"How can he be? I'm pretty sure his whole team died in the collapse of the SHIELD building".  
"Well he didn't, apparently he was burnt to a crisp but left the hospital months ago and no one has heard of him or seen him since".  
"Do you think he's responsible for the attacks"?  
"Yes I do, in fact that's what I was doing out of bed. Sharon told me he has ransom videos and even though you can't see his face, I think it's him. Sharon was pretty certain".  
"Why was she certain"?  
"She used to work at SHIELD before and she showed me this awful cut she had on her wrist, she said he did it. She made it seem like he was really dangerous and kind of unstable".  
"I understand all that but why would she come to you instead of your father"?  
Oh God here came the hard part.  
"It's because she says we're in danger. This Brock Rumlow is now calling himself Crossbones and he keeps asking the government to give him”-I stopped and bit my lip.  
"Go on".  
"He keeps asking for Captain Rogers, he blames you and him for his downfall. He thinks that if he gives you and Steve to Hydra, he'll get back into Hydra".  
"I have a feeling you're far from done". He had a strange look on his face.  
"Sharon says that the only way we can be safe from everyone who's hunting us is by going to Steve, she says he's looking for you and she thinks you guys should stick together because Steve also needs you".  
His eyes flicked up to meet mine.  
"What do you think"? He asked dully.  
I swallowed nervously suddenly flustered.  
"I agree with her, I think that we need help. The CIA isn't enough to hide us from Hydra, Crossbones and the FBI. I also think that you're just making your nightmares worse, everything worse, you never say anything but I can tell that you're lonely and I think Steve might be good for you. You need someone to talk to".  
I kind of felt relieved to say what I had been thinking for so long, even before Sharon had told me everything. I knew that Bucky was missing someone in his life, I wasn't enough and could never be. He needed his friend, he missed him terribly and he wouldn't be whole without him again.  
"Well, do you agree with me"? I asked nervously.  
He shook his head sadly.  
"I can't see Steve, I just can't. It's too soon".  
I felt disappointment well up in me.  
"Why won't you see him"?  
"It's complicated". I could see the shutters closing in his eyes, he was shutting me out.  
"It's complicated, why is it complicated? Steve cares about you, don't you think that"-  
"No" he cut me off.  
"But Bucky, can't you see what you're doing to yourself. This is the reason why the dreams won't go away, this is the reason why you're so closed off".  
"I know" he replied in a small voice.  
"If you know then why do you insist on shutting him out? I'm sure Steve needs you just as much as you need him".  
"I know but I can't".  
"But Steve is in danger, why won't you"-  
"Because I can't see him again"! He roared standing up.  
I tried to open my mouth a few times but I couldn't find the right thing to say.  
Bucky took a deep breath.  
"I can't see him again knowing what they almost made me do to him! I can't see the pity in his eyes when he looks at me! I can't stand him thinking I'm a monster, do you know how hard it is being friends with someone like Captain America?! I was never fit to be around him but now it's even worse, I'll always be the assassin, the one who used to hunt down and kill innocents. I would just put him in more danger! No. We can no longer be around each other. It's just not meant to be".  
He slumped down on the bed next to me after he was done, his breathing fast paced and I was still frozen in shock. How could I have not seen that Bucky felt that way about himself? I mean I knew he still harbored guilt over what he had been forced to do at Hydra but I didn't know it was this bad. No wonder he couldn't heal, he couldn't forgive himself and would never understand that someone like Steve and I loved him unconditionally. That we would never see him the way he thought we did.  
I cleared my throat after a few uncomfortable moments.  
"We ah have to be up tomorrow to go back to Sheridan, I think I'm going to head to my room". I really didn't want to sleep in my cold, lonely bed but Bucky only nodded. I hated that he shut me out when what I really wanted him to say was to ask me to stay.  
I left the room, silent tears pooling in my eyes and a weight behind my throat.


	6. Chapter Six

Bucky was gone when I woke up the next day and I felt a knot form in my stomach. I ate breakfast and packed up my kit ready to go by the time he showed up. He was pouring with sweat as pulled open the refrigerator and pulled out another bottle of orange Gatorade. He sat next to me and downed the entire bottle while I looked on, I saw his hands were bruised over his knuckles, he'd clearly pushed himself in the gym this morning.  
I looked at him for a moment and then looked away.  
I slid my hand over and held his hand. He seemed startled at first but then relaxed, shifting his hand around mine. I had met Bucky and promised to help him, I loved him now and was even more desperate to do that more than ever. Just because it was difficult, didn't mean that I was going to give up, I would help him no matter what. If he didn't want to see Steve, it was my job to stand by him as his girlfriend. That didn't mean that I wouldn't find some way to contact Steve, after all he hadn't exactly forbidden me from doing it myself. I felt the twist of guilt but ignored it, I had to do this even if Bucky would hate me doing it. Even if he never spoke to me again. I bit my lip, so be it. I would be damned before he ended up back in the hands of Sebastian and Hydra where he was as good as dead. I had made my mind up, there was no turning back. We knew Hydra had no idea where we were but I wasn't so sure about the FBI or this Crossbones character, I had to act now.   
I went upstairs to my room, fired up my computer and opened the files we had on Captain Rogers. The last known place he was reported to have been was the Avengers facility in upstate New York. That had been two months before though, it had been before the governments’ sanctions and the disease in Washington. There was no number listed there, not even an address. I groaned in frustration, how else could I get a message to Steve? I was in no position to go gallivanting over to New York and how could I send a letter with no address? No, I had no choice but to go to my father.   
As if sensing my distress, when my phone rang a moment later, it was my father.  
"Hi Dad, how are you"?  
"I'm good but listen, the briefing went well yes"?  
"Yes it did, the agents were great".   
"Good".   
I opened my mouth to ask for my father to dig up anything he could about the Avengers facility but he interrupted me first.  
"Look Clara, my team has been doing some digging but they failed to find anything else about the FBI".  
"Really"? I asked, my voice low with disappointment. I'd been hoping that my father would have had something good, now we were going to have to walk into a Hydra and FBI gathering totally clueless about the FBIs involvement apart from our suspicions.  
"Yes I know it's not the news you wanted to hear but hear me out. I assume you haven't turned up anything about the FBI either"?  
"No, just some racially charged terrorist set up from over ten years ago" I moaned miserably into the phone.  
"Well this isn't exactly great news but power is knowledge. Have you heard of a country called Wakanda"?  
"Yes, it was the place that Captain Rogers shield came from". I had read almost everything that I could get my hands on when I'd discovered the closeness between Bucky and Steve. Not to mention that there was some fascinating stuff to uncover.  
"Yes, the material that the shield is made of, the Vibranium came from Wakanda but that's not important. What's important is that you may have a new foe on your hands".  
"What"?  
"Yes, apparently the government of Wakanda or some rebel group has issued a kill order on Steve Rogers and his affiliates. They've sent a deadly mercenary after him, a shadowy character who is only known by the street name of the Panther".  
"The Panther" I echoed.  
"Yes, the Black Panther".  
“So what you’re telling me is that we have another third party, another problem, to worry about”?  
“Yes, however we do have some good news. The Panther appears to have been seen mainly in New York and Washington, I think he’s hunting for Captain Rogers so for now you guys are safe”.  
“What about Steve”? I asked appalled that they knew he was being hunted and my father wasn’t at all inclined to tell him about it.  
“He can look after himself, besides, an open play like that might just cause suspicion. We’ve got enough of that already from Hydra and the FBI”.  
I agreed with my father but I still couldn’t help wanting to warn Steve, he was Bucky’s best friend after all. I pushed those thoughts aside as I remembered that I had found something useful.  
“Dad, I did find something, but it’s not about the FBI”.  
“What did you find”? His voice was sharp and I could imagine him leaning into the phone.  
“You know the terrorist attacks in Washington, the disease right”?  
“Yes”?  
“I think I might know who’s responsible, he’s calling himself Crossbones yes”?  
“Yes he is, you’ve seen the videos I assume”.  
“Yes I have but I dug up an interesting character, did you hear of the Strike team just after the fall of the SHIELD building in Washington”?  
“Yes I did, they all worked under Alexander Pierce. They’re all dead aren’t they”?  
“Except for one guy”.  
My father was silent for a moment, I felt like I could almost hear him thinking, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed in concentration.  
“Oh yes I remember now. There was one guy, burnt 90% of his body. He was in the hospital the last I heard of him”.  
“Well he left a few weeks after the incident and no one has heard from him or seen him since”.  
“I thought he was at death’s door, that’s the way the NSA files put it. Even if he had woken up, he was supposed to be under police guard, 24/7 but I guess that’s what happens when the amateurs are left to clean up”. He scoffed and I just smiled.  
My father always referred to the NSA as amateurs, it was like he and Scott, the chief of the NSA, didn’t go to dinner every time the one or the other was in town. It was an ongoing rivalry I supposed.  
I interrupted before he could start talking in great detail how things would have been handled if he had been in charge.  
“Dad, that’s him. He’s Crossbones, but before he used to lead the Strike team, he went under the name of Brock Rumlow”.  
My father was quiet again but this time I couldn’t tell what he was going to say.  
“Clara, how do you know? I mean there’s digging and there’s just the impossible”. He sounded impressed and I basked in it for a moment before continuing.  
“If I told you that I’d have to kill you but if you pull his files and compare the videos, it fits. He’s got the perfect profile plus Bucky recognized him and he spent plenty of time around the Strike team”.  
“Are you absolutely sure Clara because”…  
“Yes, once you compare the videos there’s no question it’s him”.  
“Just out of curiosity, how did you come to be looking into this? It’s not really part of your mission”.  
“It’s because of the threats he made against Captain America”.  
“Captain America”? “Which threats”?  
I was stunned for a moment that my father hadn’t figured it out.  
“He kept talking about the new Aries, the star spangled, American sanctioned God of War” I quoted.  
“We just dismissed that as the rantings of a mad man but now that you mention it, his rage did seem kind of personal- his voice became angry but almost awed when he talked about that. He worked with Captain Rogers so it makes sense- he was jealous”. He paused. “Clara, I can’t believe you held back on all of this till now, this will change everything, I just have a feeling. Well done kiddo”.  
I smiled.  
“Thanks Dad but I have a favor to ask”.  
“Oh”…  
“What intel do you have on the Avengers facility in New York”?  
……………………………  
My father told me that it was manned constantly and warned me against any foolish notions of breaking in even though I’d denied even thinking such a thing! They couldn’t afford to upset the Avengers after all that was the FBI’s job. He did manage to give me an address and a phone number- I decided that I’d write a letter rather than make a random phone call to the facility and address it to Captain Rogers. There was no way that I’d be able to make sure that it got to him but under the circumstances it was the best I could do, we would be departing for Los Angeles tomorrow and it would be too difficult to hide my plan from Bucky.  
After Bucky had showered, I locked myself into the bathroom and ran the water to make it seem like I was showering but even then I kept looking over my shoulder, thinking that he would figure out what I was doing any second.   
It took me longer than I’d wanted to write the letter, how did you write to your boyfriend’s 70 year old estranged best friend? I kept it as simple as possible, telling him who I was, my relationship to Bucky and then I got straight to the point about the FBI and Hydra working together and also added in what I knew about Crossbones and the Black Panther, briefly mentioning that I knew Sharon. To make sure that he’d believe me, I stuck in a photo of Bucky and I smiling- a photo that I absolutely loved because of Bucky. He had a twinkle in his eyes and his mouth was open in a wide, beautiful smile- I’d caught him mid laugh. It brought back so many memories, we’d gone out to eat on a Sunday morning in a tiny poky café in Brooklyn and spent the day chatting and holding hands. It was the day after I’d been released from hospital in Washington and I’d always remember it because it was our first date. I sighed and slipped both the letter and photo in the envelope, licking it to seal it. I told Bucky that I was going for a walk and tossed the letter into the nearest post box I found and prayed that Hydra/ the FBI had no idea of our location and that the Avengers had ways of making sure they received all their mail otherwise I’d just compromised the entire mission and we were toast. It was worth the risk though, we were in desperate need of help and Captain America was the best there was.  
We left shortly after midday for Sheridan but this time we headed towards the local library first, we had time to blow before everyone marched out at the end of the working day and we could actually see something. We had both dressed casually in sneakers and jeans, and Bucky had actually tied his hair back into a low pony at the back of his neck. We wanted to blend in as much as a typical Midwestern couple could. We were interested in the local history and wanted to know why Hydra had selected to have such a huge base in Sheridan, Wyoming.   
I searched for any recognizable names from a list that I had of top Hydra and FBI goons while Bucky looked more at who had granted permission for the base to be built in the first place. Those might have been our focus areas but anything that stood out would work- this was our last full day to find out anything of value.  
Though I searched for two hours straight, my search turned up completely empty- there was absolutely no ties to Hydra, the FBI or Sheridan that I could find. I had thought that at least the FBI would have had reason to visit but their last visit had been some forty years before and the base had already been well established. It seemed that my luck had finally run out.  
Bucky on the other hand had excitedly pulled me into a deserted aisle and told me what he had found. It turned out that Sebastian’s family was actually originally from here except they hadn’t gone by the Carter name back then. They had immigrated in the early 1950s under the name Nachtstern- one Hans Nachtstern had changed his name to Sebastian Carter and bought the plot of land cheaply with the help of an unnamed financial backer. I guess that was Sebastian’s great great grandfather or something had begun the tradition of naming heirs Sebastian.   
Although this was great, there were still no obvious ties to the FBI. It seemed they had deep sixed the data or this really was a new connection.  
“Bucky, how did you find all of this out”?  
“I don’t know, I guess I figured that maybe we were looking too much for a corporation and not enough for a single person”.  
“You’re a genius, I didn’t come up with anything”.  
“Nothing”?  
“Nothing at all. I think my luck’s run out”.  
“I’m sure the FBI hasn’t been involved before now, if they were, I think you would have found something. The connection must be something else”.  
Crap. Something had just occurred to me.  
“Bucky, I have to tell you something”.  
“You mean the reason why you’ve been unnaturally quiet all day”. He crossed his arms over his chest.  
Damn it, he was onto me.  
I rolled my eyes nonchalantly.  
“My father called earlier today, he said that we have a new problem. An assassin from Wakanda has been put on both yours and St-Captain Rogers’ trail”.  
Bucky frowned thoughtfully.  
“An assassin from Wakanda, why”?  
“I don’t really know all the details but he’s going by the name Black Panther”.  
I saw his face pale.  
“Black Panther” he echoed, a distant look in his eyes.  
“Do you know him”?  
He nodded.  
“I’ve heard of him- he’s fast, clever and extremely dangerous”.  
“Good God, as if we needed any more trouble” I rubbed my face exhausted.  
“If he’s really on our trail then we really should get out of here, he’s a mercenary and isn’t afraid of maximum casualties”.  
“We need to go back to the Hydra base, today’s our last day of”- I stopped talking, a surge of electricity shooting down my back making the hair on the back of my neck rise.   
The library had gone quiet as if it was completely deserted. I rose onto my toes to peer over Bucky’s shoulder into the gap over the books and I caught a glimpse of something that made my blood run cold. The library was empty but I could see two men in black with raised guns facing away from me. I caught a glimpse of the red skull symbol and I knew, Hydra had found us.  
I looked up at Bucky in panic but he just put his finger to his lips and pushed us down onto the ground.  
He pushed his hand into his sleeve and pulled out his gun. I’d almost forgotten in my panic but we were somewhat armed even though the majority of our ammunition was in the car. I followed his lead and pulled out my own gun, my training kicking in. Bucky began to crawl back further down the aisles, looking for better cover when the gun shots started. We reached a wall that jutted out and we stood behind it as Bucky started returning fire. I knelt in front of his legs and leaned out to shoot- there were six men now and I started firing alternately at two of them. I surprised them and managed to shoot them in the legs before the other four started firing back at me. I moved back behind the cover and started frantically looking around. We were going to run out of bullets any minute and we had to get back to the car before that happened. The nearest exit was a tiny window that I could possibly maybe squeeze into but there was no way Bucky could even get half of his six foot frame through.   
“Bucky, I’m gonna get to the car”.  
He didn’t even look in my direction.  
“You want to go through the window? Great idea, I’ll meet you in about two minutes out front”.  
“Okay”.  
“Be careful Clara, they might have someone staking out the car”.  
I hesitated before I put my hand under his shirt and onto his belt, I felt him stiffen under my hand.  
“What are you doing”?  
I found what I was looking for and grasped the handles, pulling the trio of tiny diamond hard bladed knives.  
“I was looking for my insurance policy”.  
I opened the window and squeezed through into a tiny side garden. I peered out into the carpark in which our jeep was still parked but unfortunately it was the only car left. I could see two black vans parked further down but they appeared to be empty. Everyone must have been needed in the attempt to catch us, so weary of time, I pulled out my gun and raced across the carpark, using the few trees a cover.   
Unfortunately, they must have staked out the car because I didn’t get far before I heard gunshots. Luckily, my training kicked in and I ran in a straight line, keeping my eyes on the car. I was less than two meters away before the gunshots stopped and I saw a large blond man running towards me from my left. He reached out to grab my arm but I spun away from him, my hand releasing one of Bucky’s knives into his thigh and just kept running. I heard him grunt and I knew that I had struck home but unfortunately I felt a bullet whiz past my shoulder and I leapt into the drivers’ seat of the car, using the car door as cover.  
I reached for my keys but thought better of it, what if he punctured one of our tires? No I needed to get rid of him so I pulled out my gun and took aim. He was standing right in the middle of the parking lot without cover, my knife still embedded in his upper thigh. I bit my lip and aimed just like Bucky had taught me and fired three shots into his chest. The man crumpled and I felt a mixture of guilt and relief as I started the car and raced towards the front of the library. Just in time too because Bucky came running out and I had to open my window to cover him while he got into the car. I wasted no time and swiveled out of the carpark, the speedometer well over 100kms- I was under no illusions that the Hydra unit wouldn’t give chase and I wanted to put as much distance between us and them.  
“How did you get out of there”?  
“I had to do a lot of maneuvering but it turned out that none of them are any good at running and shooting”.  
I laughed.  
“Do you know how they found us”?  
He shook his head and leaned past me to grab the ammo bag in the back of the car.  
“They weren’t exactly the talking type, it would have been different had Sebastian been there but I suspect that they had someone on the lookout for us in the town”.  
I glanced at him.  
“You don’t think they know we’ve been watching the base”?  
“No, otherwise they would have waited for us there and then attacked. They would have had a higher chance of success because of their access to more heavy duty weapons and more men”.  
“You don’t think they know where we’ve been staying”?  
“No, if they didn’t know about the base, they definitely won’t know about the house. They’ll think we’ve been laying low somewhere else in Wyoming”.  
I bit my lip thoughtfully.  
“We’ll have to lose them then, what do you think of driving all the way up to Helena”?  
“Hmmm, no its too far away and the population isn't as large as Billings, no we should just drive back there".  
"Yes you're right, we'll lose them in the cars that come off the highway alone".  
I glanced in the mirror, both the dark matte vans were following us.  
"How desperate do you think they are? Are they desperate enough to start a shootout in broad daylight"?  
"Yes, I've done it before". There was a bitterness in his voice that I associated with his memories of working for Hydra.  
We reached the highway when the gunshots began again, and both the cars sped up to flank us on both sides. I heard screams in neighboring cars but I took a deep breath and remembered my course in offensive driving, I sped up and rammed our car into the van on the left, ducking as shots rang out. Without waiting for them to react, I punched the gas and swerved out of the way of the other car.   
Bucky used the precious seconds we had left to take out and assemble his rifle as well as clamber into the back seat and take aim through the opened window just as one of the cars pulled up.  
Bucky began to fire and I had to resist the urge to flinch as bullets ricocheted off the side of the car. It made me wish desperately that we'd commandeered one of the CIA's modified cars but they had needed all of them in Washington. I heard the squeal of tires as the van slammed into us with full force and I lost control of the wheel for a moment, my teeth clicking together. I heard closer gunshots and metal on metal as Bucky began to struggle with whoever was driving the van. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that the other van was gaining on us.  
"Bucky, they're gaining on us!" I yelled.  
"Got it" he returned, his voice muffled.  
I heard the metallic whir of his arm and a strangled yell that was soon choked off. A gun went off several times and I heard the squeal of wheels again followed by a loud bang as the car slammed into the embankment and rolled off the side of the road.  
There was silence as Bucky climbed back into the passenger seat and started to disassemble his rifle, I glanced at him and he looked positively exhausted.  
I looked into the side mirror, we still had a few moments before we were set upon once again and I punched the gas once more, hoping that we could have a few more moments of peace. I sincerely hoped that no one in the neighboring cars had taken their phones out and taken videos of the crazy people shooting on the freeway, we could not afford to have our faces splashed all over the internet again especially with both Crossbones and Black Panther looking for us.   
"We're lucky we're leaving tomorrow otherwise we'd have to dump the car".  
"Yeah, I'll have to call my father as soon as we get back. That's if we don't end up on the internet after that display, they must have been desperate".  
"They were desperate but they weren't prepared for a car chase. I don't think we'll end up on the Internet, Hydra and the FBI will want to keep this quiet. They can't afford for it to turn into a media circus".  
I mulled over his words but then I thought of something terrible.  
"What if they call for reinforcements"?  
Bucky glanced at me worriedly.  
"I didn't think about that".  
"We have to get out of here now, this Jeep can only take more hits before we'll need to leave on foot".  
"Maybe it's better if I drive".  
I frowned at him.  
"What's wrong with my driving"?  
"Nothing, I just think we'll make better time if I drive".  
I pouted but relented when he touched my wrist.  
"Come on Clara, you've done brilliantly but you're too scared to push the speed limit. I'm not".  
"Fine but I'm driving next time".  
"Deal".  
He unbuckled my seatbelt and I crawled into the passenger seat while he took my place.  
I pulled out both of Bucky and my ceramic hand guns and reloaded them, as much as I had great aim, I didn't have the strength to operate the rifle in such close quarters.   
We had evaded the second van until we got to the end of the freeway when they broke free of the rest of the cars and pursued us when I was suddenly struck with an idea that was totally crazy but so brilliant that I had to try it. I couldn't let them ram us again because I knew that I couldn't fight them off through the window like Bucky had so instead I put my plan into action by rolling the window down and before Bucky could react, I grabbed the wheel and the car went spinning into a huge half circle, the wheels shrill in my ears.   
I saw the other van hesitate in its pursuit because they clearly hadn't been expecting such a maneuver and I took full advantage. I raised my guns as the other driver sped up and instead of aiming high, I pointed my guns low and shot both the front wheels of the car.  
The result was almost instantaneous, the car stopped and before they had realized what happened, the car toppled forward and Bucky put his foot on the accelerator and spirited us away from the spinning car, the sound of crunching glass and bending metal echoing in our ears.  
There was silence as Bucky took back the wheel and accelerated off the freeway and into the busy city center of Billings, three police cars racing back to where we had just come from.  
"Some warning would be nice next time" he said quietly.  
"Yeah I'm sorry".  
"Don't be" he grinned lopsidedly at me.  
"That was pretty cool Clara, how did you think of it"?  
"I guess it just popped into my head, we all can't break faces like you". I nudged him playfully in the ribs.  
"It just popped into your head? Clara"...  
There was awe in his face and his voice had risen in pitch, Bucky was truly impressed. I tried to keep my face and voice neutral even though I was triumphantly doing the Macarena in my head.  
"I told you I could handle myself".  
He looked at me with an eyebrow raised.  
"No need to get a big head".  
I just stuck my tongue out at him and he just shook his head.  
"All the same Clara, well done. It's nice to see that you really are a fully-fledged agent".  
"Thank you, it means a lot". I ran my hand over his shoulder, relishing the feel of my boyfriend (yes my boyfriend) and it just occurred to me that it had been far too long since he'd held me in his arms.  
He glanced at me.  
"Don't get any ideas, we still have to make it to the house".  
I just looked at him, thinking how distant we'd been the past few days.  
"Bucky, I hate it when we fight. I'm sorry. I pushed you too far the other night. It's not my place".   
I ignored the stab of guilt I felt at the words, sure I'd gone behind his back to send the letter but it was better this way. I could never forgive myself if he ended up hurt because I'd been too afraid to do what needed to be done.  
"Me too. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have lost my temper". He paused and looked at me.  
"Especially not with you, Clara". I saw such intensity in his eyes that I felt a spike of desire shoot through me and I had to look away, my cheeks burning.  
"I suppose we both messed up".  
I swallowed nervously and looked to change the subject before I 'got any ideas' for real this time.  
"What time is our flight again? 5:30"?  
"We're supposed to be at the airport by 5am and we fly out at 5:30 but that all depends on what your father thinks after today". He peered into the rear view mirror and scratched his jaw absently.  
"I hope we can get an earlier one, I'm not too comfortable with the fact that they didn't call for reinforcements. I was kind of expecting a helicopter".  
"I'm with you on that one, although they were desperate to catch us, they were kind of sloppy".  
"I wonder why Sebastian wasn't there. He must be too much of a head honcho to bother with the likes of us".  
"He must still be in Germany or eastern Europe recruiting more corrupt governments to sell weapons to him".  
My jaw dropped open.  
"Really"?  
"Yes, you'd be surprised how common it is. South America too".  
"I wouldn't put it past him either".  
There was silence for a moment but Bucky kept glancing at me with a strange look on his face, half curiosity and half something unidentifiable.  
"What"?  
"I don't know" he seemed flustered, like he was nervous about something.  
"Come on, tell me".  
He took a deep breath.  
"Well I guess I'm just wondering how you and he became....involved".  
I laughed.  
"Involved? Was that all you wanted to know"? I was incredulous that all he'd been dithering about was asking me about my ex- boyfriend.  
"I've never asked before and I guess I'm just curious".  
Where to begin with Sebastian? One of the biggest mistakes I'd ever made and was still paying for today.  
"Well we met at NYU, at a party".  
He scoffed.  
"A party, why am I not surprised"?  
"It's not what you think. It was the most boring party, I was sitting there alone and here he comes to talk to me". I remembered how everything had seemed so perfect, so right in that moment he'd been so handsome. If only I'd known what kind of a monster he was.  
I glanced at him.  
"You have to understand, I was really lonely and I guess I'd never had a proper boyfriend before and he was Sebastian Carter, the guy that every girl wanted to be with and the guy all the boys wanted to be friends with. He just had this aura around him, I guess it was the fact that he was such a good liar being in Hydra and all but it fooled me".  
"He fooled everyone".  
"It was good at the start, I met his family, and we went out to eat a lot because he told me his family owned a bunch of expensive restaurants in the city".  
"Imagine that" he muttered.  
"And I believed him, but I suppose there was a website and everything".  
"I even believed that his father was a kindly, sweet old man who was always off on golfing trips".  
"Golfing? Huh he must have been off acquiring illegal weapons".  
"I know right! Sebastian had seemed good but now that I think about it there had always been something off about him, the way he'd get angry really quickly about silly things or brood over something someone had said to him a week before. I just ignored a lot".  
"You know did you ever"?  
His voice trailed off and my face burned as I realized what he meant.  
"No we never but it wasn't for lack of trying on his end".  
"Oh" he somehow sounded relieved, as if he'd been holding his breath. Was he a little jealous?  
"Why do you want to know"? I teased. "You wouldn't happen to be jealous would you"?  
"Jealous? No I'm not jealous" he scoffed.  
"Huh" I just raised my eyebrows.  
"So would that mean that you're still".....  
I felt my cheeks heat up.  
"Yes it means that I'm still a virgin".  
He had such a goofy expression on his face that I smacked him on the arm.  
"I thought it was obvious, you know especially with the way that I acted when you held me against my will and all".  
"Oh yes that" he smiled. "I forgot that you almost attacked me in the tub. Real virginal behavior”.  
My face burst into flames as I remembered the first time I'd seen him shirtless and he'd caught me not just looking but touching him.   
"Well you can hardly blame me, you looked really good".   
"No, I can't blame you besides" he turned to look at me. "I almost didn't stop you, it had been too long".  
I looked away quickly and cleared my throat nervously.  
"How long has it been for you"?  
He looked away and shrugged his shoulders.  
"It's not important".  
My mouth dropped open incredulously.  
"Really? After you had me squirming with embarrassment you're gonna be like that"?  
"Like what"?  
"I don't know, aloof".  
"I am not aloof".  
"You're kind of being aloof. Come on, tell me". I put my hand on his thigh and squeezed encouragingly.  
"Clara" he warned, his eyes glancing at hand.  
I wasn't going to let him get off that easily so I ignored him.  
"Tell me".  
He sighed.  
"You're not gonna let this go are you"?  
"No".  
"Well I can't remember the last time I had sex. There. Are you happy"?  
"Not particularly but you're not a virgin right"?  
"No, I've always liked girls. Even before, some of my memories have come back and I think it was one of the reasons I enlisted, the girls liked the uniforms".  
"So you were a bit of a ladies man"?  
"Compared to Steve? I guess so".  
I smiled, trying to picture a younger, more naive Bucky trying to impress the girls with his army uniform. I wish I'd been able to see it.

 

We arrived at the house without any more trouble and I called my father right away, Bucky going upstairs to pack immediately. I really hoped that didn't include my stuff too but I had no chance to ask because my father picked up.  
"Hello Clara".  
"Hi Dad, um we have a situation".  
"Tell me".  
I proceeded to tell my father all that had occurred in the library, about the Carter's German history, all that occurred on the highway without omitting Sebastian's absence or Bucky's suggestion that we leave Billings right away.   
There was a pause on the line as he took it all in.  
"Jesus Clara, we only spoke this morning".  
"I know".  
I heard him sigh and I knew he would be in his office at home, loosening his tie and probably craving more coffee.  
"Look I understand why James is worried but I don't think I can get the flight moved up on such short notice. Are you absolutely sure they didn't follow you back to the house"?  
"Yes".  
"Then you'll just have to go to the airport as planned but leave the car there. They'll definitely have someone looking out for it, I'll organize for a new car and a driver to drop you off at the airport".  
"Okay, thanks Dad".  
"This really puts a thorn in our sides. I didn't want you to have any more run- ins until this party was over, especially with you saying that Sebastian was absent, it has me concerned because we've lost track of his whereabouts".  
"What"?  
"Yes we have no idea where he is and now I'm starting to sense a trap. Maybe you shouldn't go to the party".  
"Dad no, I have a feeling that this mission will fail if we don't go. I mean we've already had to cut back so much of our Intel days".  
"Godammit Clara, the Intel isn't what I'm worried about. As your father I don't think any mission is worth losing you".  
"Dad, I'm now an agent. You swore that you would trust me to do this and I know I can do this".  
I had a feeling that we were close to finally stopping this, to ending Hydra's reign of terror over everyone they had ever hurt like Bucky, the people whose lives they had torn apart with their violence.  
No, Hydra had to end. I wouldn't be able to move on without Sebastian rotting away someplace far far away where he couldn't stab, shoot or maim anyone else. Or buy illegal weapons for that matter.  
My father was silent for a few moments before he groaned in frustration.  
"Clara if anything happens to you"...  
"I know Dad but I still have Bucky, and I'm not the same Clara I was six months ago. I can handle myself, you made sure I could handle myself".  
"I know Clara" and I knew that I had won.  
"Thank you Dad, you won't regret this. Trust me, I'll make this work. I just know it".  
"Look after yourself Clara and for Gods sake if James lets anything happen to you, I will clap him in irons and haul him away myself".  
"I love you too Dad".  
"Call me the second you're in trouble, hell even if there's no trouble, I want you to call me Clara".  
"I will Dad".  
"Goodnight Clara, remember the car will be coming to get you early tomorrow and keep the Jeep out of sight, leave it in the garage okay"?  
"I will Dad, goodnight".  
"Love you darling".  
I got off the phone with my father and found Bucky leaning against both our suitcases (to my horror) wearing a goofy grin.  
"You know your father really loves you right"?  
"I know he does".  
"It's nice you know, it's been too long since I've been around people like you. Families".  
I remained silent and just paced forward and pulled him into a hug. It was so easy at times to forget that he'd been alone for so long. He wouldn't be like that anymore, I wouldn't let him be an outsider, he deserved love just as much as anyone else and I'd be damned if I let him go through life like that again.  
I looked up at him with a grimace.  
"Did you pack my suitcase too"?  
"Yup".  
I pulled a face.  
"Bucky, there's a little thing called boundaries you know".  
"What? I pack faster anyway. We'd still be here tomorrow if I let you pack. What are you afraid of anyway"? He teased.  
I smiled and looked away grateful that I'd sent the letter earlier.  
You have no idea I thought.  
...............  
We napped on the couch with the TV on until we heard the honk outside that let us know that the car had arrived. Well I dozed, Bucky just did that half sleeping, and half wide awake at a seconds notice with a knife to your throat thing he does. He still managed to look better than I felt.  
I was still too sleepy for social interaction so I just mumbled a hello to the driver and rolled my suitcase into the boot and sat in the backseat in a trance. I could see Bucky was still talking to the driver in great detail about something so I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing that I was still upstairs in Bucky's bed with his body heat to keep me warm, not outside in the frigid early morning Montana air.   
The car door slamming closed woke me up as Bucky slid into the seat next to mine.  
"Make sure I don't fall asleep k"? I mumbled.  
"Sure".  
"What were you talking about"?  
"You mean with Jason"?  
"Jason? How long was I out"?  
He chuckled.  
"I was just wondering what route he wanted to take but your Dad already made sure that he'd avoid the main routes".  
"Yeah they might still be looking for us".  
It took far longer than I remembered to get back to the airport but it was entirely because the road Jason took wound through the back streets of Billings, away from the scenic Mountain View filled route we'd taken and more towards quiet, dark suburban streets.  
The airport was fully lit up in front of the car and Bucky immediately sat up straighter and I forced myself to be more alert, my eyes scanning for any suspicious vehicles. Any cars that appeared to be parked with no purpose or any that looked like they were following us. Luck was on our side because I didn't see anything and Bucky soon relaxed and we got to the car park.  
Bucky insisted that we put on disguises so I pulled on a nondescript grey beanie and he tugged the hood on his pullover so that his face was in shadow. I swear it was the same pullover that he'd worn when I'd first met him. I really needed to get him more clothes I thought absently.  
Jason said his farewells and we made our way to the terminal, crossing our fingers that Hydra wasn't expecting us to leave town at four in the morning.   
We were almost through our transaction when Bucky tapped me on the elbow, subtly nodding towards two men in sunglasses who were loitering around a bench. They were a standard issue tag team from Hydra, built like tanks and dressed in clothes that looked casual on the surface but quietly reeked of the military. Lucky for us they looked exhausted, one of them yawned and the other had been trying to read the same brochure for five minutes straight. They weren't looking at us so we just finished our transaction and left the terminal as quietly as we could, Bucky's arm slung over my shoulders.   
The plane was parked in a different gate this time, it was closer and I sure was glad of that. Even though we'd left Sleepy and Dopey back in the crowded terminal, I only breathed a sigh of relief when we boarded the plane and saw Thomas's familiar face.  
"Hello Thomas" I said.  
"Hello this is quite the reunion. Did you enjoy your trip"?  
I looked at Bucky and smiled.  
"Yeah, you could say that it was quite eventful".  
"I'm glad to hear that. We'll be departing in a moment so you know what to do". He nodded at Bucky and disappeared into the cockpit.  
We buckled ourselves in and I heard Bucky sigh.  
"Thank God they put the dumbest pair on duty tonight".  
I smiled at Bucky.  
"Yeah we got really lucky but I can't help feeling sorry for them after it gets out that they let us get past them".  
"Yeah, no". Bucky replied.  
I giggled at the serious expression on his face. God forgive anyone who got on his wrong side.  
"Come on, aren't you excited about LA"?  
"I guess it'll be nice to have a change of scenery. I've never been to Los Angeles".  
"Are you always this serious? Oh my God you are, I just forgot for a moment".  
"I'm not always serious, I wasn't serious the other night" he winked at me and I felt a flutter in my stomach. God I loved him.  
"Speaking of which, it's been too long since we got a little less serious". I leaned forward and put my hand on his knee.  
"All in good time Clara, once all of this is over. We'll get less serious more often".  
His voice was husky, his eyes were full of promise and my nerves felt like they were on fire.  
I cleared my throat to steady my voice.  
"Aren't you excited about it a little? I mean" I lowered my voice. "The Beverly Wiltshire is like the one of THE best hotels in the world and even if the circumstances suck, even you can't be blasé about something like that".  
"Well it was built in 1928 while I was still slumming it in New York. Luxury hotels weren't really a thing for me back then". He replied, his tone was deadpan but I could see a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.  
"God you really like to tease me don't you".  
"You have no idea".  
We settled in as the flight started to make its ascent and I used this time to check the progress on the news on my sat phone. I didn't want to be left out of the loop again after Sharon and Agent Nine's ' visit to the house in Montana, especially after what had happened after the car chase.  
Seeing nothing on social media or the news alert app I had installed, for some reason that will never be clear to me, I checked my email account. If only I'd known what that would trigger.   
My sat phone immediately froze after I opened my junk mail folder as if the touch screen had ceased to work. I kept pressing hoping it would pass but soon the face turned a shade of red I'd never seen before and it started ringing loudly. Bucky was busy reading a newspaper so he didn't notice my panic right away. It could only be my father calling but I didn't understand why the number was so foreign and why my phone has stopped working. My father had gotten us the best possible satellite phones, with Internet and plane function ability. Thinking it was him, I answered on the second ring.  
"Hello".  
"I didn't think I'd get through but I must admit it's nice to hear your voice C".  
I felt my blood run cold. It definitely wasn't my father.  
"Sebastian"?


	7. Chapter Seven

Bucky immediately looked up, concern evident on his face.  
"The one and only".  
"Why are you calling me"?  
He chuckled and I knew he was enjoying this.  
"Come now Clara, I've missed you and I'm sure you've missed me too".  
I didn't dignify that with an answer.  
"How did you get my number"?  
"Aww you expect me to give up my secrets so quickly? Well I'll tell you just this once. We've been monitoring your email for several months, hoping you would use your phone to check them and you did just that tonight".  
"But I changed my email passwords just recently".  
"Aww did you think that would stop us? No I bugged your email long ago so I was already in the system when you did that".  
I saw Bucky mouth the words 'keep him talking' while he unbuckled his seatbelt and started digging through my bag.  
"What do you want Sebastian"?  
"I've missed you, isn't that enough?"  
"No you haven't, you don't have time to pine away after me anymore, since you’re now the leader of a criminal organization remember?"  
"Oh yes that, I admit I have been busy but so have you".  
"A little" I wasn't going to risk revealing anything important until I knew what he knew.  
"C, from what I hear you've been promoted. You're now an agent, how did you get your father to agree to that"?  
Jesus. How did he know so much?  
Bucky came out with my LV toiletry bag and pulled out a gold hairpin/ bug, activated it and stuck it to the base of my phone.  
"Well I can be persuasive, plus he was impressed after my plan got a bunch of criminals arrested at the Smithsonian".  
"Ooh that, I suppose it had nothing to do with that homicidal boyfriend of yours? I heard him and your father are quite close now".  
Homicidal? He was the leader of an international criminal organization and Bucky was homicidal?  
"Really? Where did you hear that"?  
"Let's just say I have ears in all the right places. How is that going, he wouldn't happen to be there with you right now"?  
I met Bucky's eyes and he shook his head.  
"No, he's not here right now but he will be soon".  
"Where are you by the way? I was disappointed to hear what happened in Sheridan earlier today, when did you get so violent Clara"?  
"Oh I don't know, Bucky's in charge of where we're going. I'm not the least bit violent, I don't know where you're getting that idea from".  
"I heard you killed one of my men, shot him right in the chest and stabbed him too. I heard you also orchestrated a huge pile up on the freeway too, shot out tires".  
I tried to prevent the guilt from being heard in my voice.  
"I just defended myself. I wasn't going to let anyone from Hydra shoot me again, not after you".  
"You're still mad about that Clara? It was just a little accident. If you hadn't jumped in front of my gun, we wouldn't be having this conversation" he purred.  
"Defending myself and those I love isn't a crime".  
"Oh so you love him now? I thought it was just a fling and you'd eventually come back to your senses".  
"Not a chance" I changed the subject.  
"Where are you now? You don't seem tired and it's still five in the morning".  
"Tut tut tut, stop digging Clara, it's so unbecoming. However, I will throw you a bone: I'm closer than you think, I'm on the East Coast".  
I felt myself begin to sweat at his words. I didn't like the thought of him being so close again after Washington.  
"You have my condolences. Your trip to Europe and your father’s funeral must have been awful".  
"Oh so you have been keeping tabs on me too. I wasn't sure after the face you pulled when you saw me in Washington, it was like you'd seen a ghost. What were you doing in Sheridan earlier today anyway"?  
Hmmm, he was also digging.  
"Oh we were just interested in the local architecture. It seemed like a good place for a romantic getaway, what else would we have been doing in Sheridan"? I replied breezily.  
"You've learned to play the game and from what I'm seeing of these photos you don’t need a romantic getaway, beloved Bucky really can't keep his hands off of you can he? Well I suppose you've had a bit of a makeover haven't you? I liked you a little chubby but now you're irresistible".  
"Photos? What photos"?  
"Oh I've been keeping tabs of you too".  
"Is that what you've been doing since you came back from Sokovia"?  
"Yes. I've had a few errands to run here and there you know, new allies and all".  
"You mean with the FBI"?  
"Hmmm you've gotten good. Yes I suppose with them too".  
"Who did you have to bribe to get them to listen"?  
"Not so fast C, its give and take. Now you have to answer something".  
I sighed and glanced at Bucky. He nodded his head sharply.  
"Okay, what do you want to know"?  
"Where did you go after you left Washington? We couldn't find you until today, all we found was your dumped Range Rover in Chicago".  
"Well that's easy. We did drive to Chicago and then took a plane down to Denver and eventually made it to Montana".  
"Montana? I never would have guessed that the CIA have a stronghold there but I did consider Wyoming and Colorado".  
"Now you tell me something".  
"Anything darling".  
"Do you know anything about what's happening in Washington at the moment"?  
"You mean the lunatic that's been running around calling himself Crossbones. No unfortunately he's a lone wolf but if he gets out of hand, I'll deal with him myself. From what I know he used to work under Alexander Pierce but he hasn't reached out again".  
"Hmm that's interesting". As if he'd use the word lunatic to describe anyone but himself.  
"Yes it is but I'm more interested in what's happening with you. Have you given it up yet? Your v card"?  
I blushed and looked at Bucky again for confirmation. He nodded once more even though there was a muscle jumping in his jaw.  
"What business is it of yours"?  
"Now now Clara, play fair. Besides it’s my right as your future husband to know".  
I sighed exhausted. How had this day ended like this?  
"No I haven't" I replied in a small voice.  
"Jeez what's wrong? I thought he would have been eager to get into your pants, I know you were after what I saw at the Smithsonian earlier this year. I'll just take it that you're saving yourself for someone special".  
"Not you if that's what you think".  
"Oh you wound me Clara, don't worry though. I'll expect you to lick my wounds when I see you next".  
I suppressed a shudder at his words.  
"I don't plan on seeing you anytime soon".  
"I do and when I do, I'll finish what your precious Bucky has failed to start and I promise you, you'll like it".  
I suppressed the urge to throw up in my mouth and just ignored his comment.  
Bucky was signaling that I should wrap up the conversation so I sped things up a bit.  
"Sebastian as much as I enjoyed our little reunion, I have to go".  
"Oh not yet Clara, I thought we were having so much fun. Where are you anyways? You're moving far too fast for me to trace".  
Trace? Sebastian had to be joking and I called his bluff.  
"Sebastian quit trying to scare me, I know even though this phone is hackable, you can't trace it. It's impossible".  
"I can still call you now that I have your number".  
"Yes you can try but I doubt you'll get through after today. Goodbye Sebastian, have a nice life".  
"Bye bye darling. Do say hello to Bucky for me, I do miss our knife fights".  
I just sighed in disgust and hung up.  
Bucky held his hand out for the phone and I handed it to him. He promptly removed the bug and opened his 'toiletry bag' and took out the hand mirror that read the bug's data. He tapped the screen three times and icons similar to those on a calculator appeared. The number one was flashing and he pressed it. Immediately the mirror began to replay our conversation like a voice mail message:  
"Sebastian"? My voice rang out.  
"The one and only".  
Bucky replayed the whole phone conversation, listening intently and even making notes on a notepad. I quietly squirmed as he listened, embarrassed that he had to hear my psycho ex boyfriend's sexually charged dialogue.  
I breathed a sigh of relief when it was over and Bucky put his listening device away.  
"Did you really have to do that"?  
He looked at me impassively.  
"We're partners in this mission Clara, you can't have Intel that I don't know about".  
"Oh I know" I grumbled. "It's just so embarrassing to have you hear that".  
"Why? I already knew the guy was a maniac before, it's not like I had no idea".  
"I know you do but it's different to have it confirmed. I swear you know so much about my exes and I just feel like I don't know anything about yours".  
"It's not like I remember them. You should be happy I don't, most girls would be".  
"I suppose I can't argue with that but please don't send that to my father".  
He shot me a dark look.  
"No father should have to hear that, even if he's your boss".  
"Thank God, let's just tell him the important stuff".  
As Bucky and I fell into a companionable silence, I couldn't help brooding about my conversation with Sebastian. Speaking to him had really shaken me up despite my earlier bravado on the phone. I really didn't know if I could handle seeing him again, I was afraid that I'd freeze up again or worse that I'd let Bucky down again. Sebastian had a habit of bringing out the worst in me and having him so near really freaked me out. It was evident that the CIA had a mole and we really had to be careful at the party in LA.   
I felt Bucky tap my foot with his own and I snapped out of my reverie.  
"Hey Clara, talk to me".  
"I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about".  
"Really? Now who's shutting who out"?  
"I'm sorry I don't mean to do that. I am shutting you out, aren't I"?  
"A little".  
"Well I just can't believe that I was dumb enough to keep the same email account after dating someone like him. It just seems so naive, no wonder everyone thinks I'm a crappy agent".  
"Don't say that Clara, it's not your fault for dating someone like him, he's a pathological liar and he's been pretending all his life".  
"I guess so" I allowed.  
"Besides, you did really well on the phone. He thinks he was handling you but really you had the upper hand. That's a skill most agents can't say they have". He smiled at me and I felt myself smiling back, how did he manage to make anything seem okay?  
He held his hand out.  
"Come here Clara".  
I unbuckled my seatbelt and I went to him. He put his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. I couldn't help feeling that if I had someone as brilliant and beautiful as Bucky who loved and believed in me, that everything would be alright. Sebastian’s dark threats be damned.

The hotel was even nicer than I'd ever imagined. The drive from LAX had taken about forty minutes and we'd done it in another Range Rover. A crisp white one that would blend in amongst the other flashy cars on Rodeo Drive. It turned out that there were about four other white Range Rovers that we passed by as well as several Porsche Cayenne's, an Escalade and even a black Tesla Motors car.   
The spacious and extravagant lobby was bustling with activity with children running about and their overpaid nannies running after them, I swear one of the people in the lobby could have been a young movie star because he was wearing sunglasses indoors and avoided all eye contact with everyone.  
I did the talking, our room was under my ‘name’ after all. I tried to get the transaction over and done with quickly because even though there was little chance that anyone from the Hydra party would be checking in this early, we couldn't take any chances after what had occurred in Sheridan yesterday. We kept our disguises on, mine being sunglasses and a beanie, Bucky's being a hood. The concierge was a little taken aback at our appearance but recovered after we showed him the platinum credit card my father had supplied us with as well as a substantial cash tip. It was imperative that it was in the staff's best interest to keep us happy.  
Our suite was divine with fresh flowers in thousand dollar vases and matching colour schemes. The view was panoramic, the whole of West Los Angeles could be seen from our East facing room on the fifth floor. The carpets were lush, the curtains a butter soft silk blend, and there was even a note on the bed addressed to our alter egos Theresa and Christian.   
'Enjoy your stay'-The Beverly Wiltshire.  
It was enough to reignite my teenage envy of Marissa Lopez and Gwen Evans.   
Bucky laid out on the huge king sized bed and closed his eyes. I sat near him and removed my shoes, rubbing my feet.   
"You must be a little bit impressed now".  
"I guess I am. It's not every day that you get to stay somewhere this expensive, did you see the amount of zeroes on the receipt"?  
"There was no need to, I've been dying to come here since I was seventeen and Gwen Evans and Marissa Lopez threw a graduation party".  
He whistled through his teeth.  
"Some graduation party, I expect that their poor parents would have footed the bill for that"?  
"Poor? I'm sure it was a relief that they chose to have a party instead of asking for matching Rolex's and trips to Switzerland like they had originally wanted".  
He opened his eyes to grin at me, his azure eyes glittering with amusement.  
"What did you get at the end of graduation"?  
"My wish to go to NYU instead of Harvard like my Dad".  
He chuckled and rolled over as I removed my jacket, beanie and sunglasses, throwing them all onto a pile on the floor.  
I started to lie next to him but his hands shot out, grabbing my legs and pulling me towards him.  
"What are you"-  
Bucky pulled off my socks and began to massage my feet. I closed my eyes and moaned, gosh, his hands felt so good after such a long day or night on my feet. The feel of his soft right hand and the strength in his cool left hand created such a nice contrast. I'd never had a guy massage my feet before or even fantasized about it but it felt like heaven.   
"Where did you learn to be the perfect boyfriend"?  
He laughed and dropped a kiss on my ankle, knee and lips before lying next to me again.  
"The early to mid-1900s".  
I smiled.  
"What did you get after graduation"?  
He got this faraway look in his eyes and he smiled.  
"Funnily enough it's one of the things I do remember. My father gave me his watch. It had belonged to his father and he said that I was now a man and had reason to keep time".  
I laid my hand on his cheek, savoring the joy in his eyes. It was so rare to see him like this, so happy and carefree. I resolved that I would give him more reason to smile every day if I could help it. I leaned forward, pressing my lips on his and he pulled me to him as the rest of the world fell away.  
We slept until lunchtime, our legs intertwined and my head resting on his chest. I woke up when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I sat up and looked at Bucky still sleeping peacefully on the bed. I stroked the hair off his face and moved out of the bedroom, it was so rare that I rose before Bucky and I didn't want to wake him.   
"Hello".  
"Clara hello, I just got James' voicemail now. How are you"?  
Bucky had called my father as soon as we'd gotten to LAX but my father had probably been away at an early morning meeting.  
"I'm good, the flight went well and we checked in about three hours ago".  
"How did he manage to reach you? Are the phones compromised"?  
"No they aren't compromised. He has my number but I'm pretty sure they can't be taken over in such a way again. I made the mistake of checking my email. Sebastian had bugged it when we were still dating".  
"That's good news at least. Has he called you again"?  
"No he hasn't but I have a feeling he might. Any news on his whereabouts"?  
"Good, get him talking again, you got some great Intel but unfortunately no, we still haven't had luck on locating him".  
I sighed disappointed that the East Coast clue hadn't sparked anything.  
"Yes I will and it was all Bucky's idea really".  
"James sure is shrewd for someone who denies being a spy".  
"He sure is" I chuckled.  
"I'm concerned about the information that he had though, I'm fairly sure we have a mole".  
"So am I" I replied my voice serious.  
"I'm putting all my best agents on locating them right away but I think the best way to find them is to look for them at the party".  
"Okay, we'll keep a lookout. I've also been wondering about the Panther. Are you still watching him"?  
"As a matter of fact we are and I'm unhappy to report that he seems dissatisfied with his hunt for Captain Rogers and is on the move as well. He was seen in Miami last night".  
"What should we do"?  
"Do nothing. It's unclear whether or not it's just coincidence that he's on the East coast too. Stay in the hotel as much as possible, you'll be going back to the Midwest soon. We'll probably set you up in Denver since your Montana cover is blown".  
I breathed a sigh of relief. My father was right. We needed to stay focused on one enemy at a time or there would be chaos.  
"If he follows you to Denver then I'll bring in an expert. We've already been in touch with an expert on Wakanda and we should have no problem calling him in again".  
"Are you sure Sebastian won't show up here tomorrow"?  
"I know that it's highly unlikely seeing that the FBI are unwilling to parade their alliance with Hydra but it's not entirely impossible".  
"Bucky thinks Sebastian can't resist missing something like this, he loves big shows even if the FBI doesn't".  
"A true observation I'm sure but does he know about your side project to do with a certain Avenger"?  
I lowered my voice and glanced behind me. I could still hear him breathing evenly in the next room so I replied warily.  
"No he doesn't and I know he'll be furious when he finds out".  
"But you still did it"?  
"I had to, he's in danger and we need help".  
My father was silent for a moment as he pondered my words.  
"You really do love him don't you"? He replied in a strange tone.  
I was taken aback so I paused for a moment before replying.  
"I really do and I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him".   
"I'm sure nothing will happen Clara, you remind me just of your mother. She was always so worried about me when I first started at the CIA". My father's voice shook as he talked about my mother. It had been so long since I'd heard him talk about her, it was as if she'd ceased to exist after she had left.  
"I worry about you too Dad, you need to be careful. Bucky's not the only one I can't afford to lose".  
"Don't worry about your old man. I'm your father and I'm supposed to worry about you. I know you're brilliant and bright because you're my daughter but I can't imagine anything happening to you. You need to know that the party tonight will be like entering a den of vipers. You need to be on guard all night and at all times in that hotel".  
"Yes after what I've seen of Hydra, I'll be careful".  
"Good. If you feel threatened at any time, any time at all, I want you to get out of there. Run away and don't look back. I don't want you risking your life all for this".  
I reassured my Dad that I would be careful several more times before hanging up.  
I didn't hear Bucky walk up behind me and put his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.  
"Was that your Dad"? He mumbled, his voice still husky from sleep.  
"Yes it was, he got your message finally".  
"What did he say"?  
"He was glad for the Intel but he's still not entirely convinced Sebastian will show up tomorrow".  
"Really why"?  
"He thinks the FBI won't want to show off their alliance with him so to keep them happy, he won't come".  
"He's right about that, Los Angeles being FBI territory and all but Sebastian just proved how much of a peacock he is on the phone to you. I doubt he'll be able to resist".  
"I don't know. Sebastian seems a little different, I mean he's still a douchebag but he's more sneaky now, more of a true son of Hydra".  
Bucky's eyes twinkled mischievously as he turned to look at me.  
"What's a douchebag"?  
I frowned.  
"I don't really know, all I know is that it refers to a man who is completely idiotic and regularly makes a fool of himself".  
Bucky nodded thoughtfully.  
"Douchebag. I'm going to remember that and yes I think he fits that description perfectly".  
I laughed and pulled away, moving to the hotel room's phone.  
"I'm starving. Do you think they'll mind if we call for room service"?  
"After that price tag I saw downstairs, room service will just be peanuts to them. But before you do that Clara, how are you really feeling about Sebastian being possibly at the party tomorrow"?  
I sat down on the bed heavily.  
"I - I don't know. I'm not happy about him coming and I don't know if I'll be able to look at him without freezing up like last time".  
He sat down next to me, putting his arm around me.  
"You know I won't let him hurt you right"?  
"I know but that's not what I'm afraid of. I feel like he'll somehow find a way to me even if he doesn't know it's me".  
It sounded ridiculous but I had to admit that Sebastian had a way of finding me, or even sensing what I was thinking. I put it down to our short lived romantic affair and his Hydra training. It was a deadly combination to have an adversary who knew you so well. Too well.  
Bucky looked at me intently and I was forced to look away.  
"It sounds ridiculous doesn't it"?  
He shook his head and pulled me closer.  
"Clara no it doesn't. As much as I hate to admit it, Sebastian knows you really well as you know him. It's a result of being in love with him".  
I wrinkled my face at his words, a swift denial on my lips.  
"No don't deny it, as much of a douchebag as he is, he did once convince a sweet teenage girl to fall in love with him. It's why he has such an effect on you".  
I wrinkled my nose in distaste but I had to concede that he was right.  
"How are you so perceptive all the time"?  
He smiled.  
"You say it like its a bad thing".  
I leaned into his shoulder.  
"Its not a bad thing but it's just frustrating to have a boyfriend who's so damn understanding all the time".  
"You want me to be less understanding? To display more douchebag like behavior"?  
"No I don't want that" I giggled.  
"Good because it's not happening. As to wondering why I'm so perceptive, I've been alive a long time and nothing really fazes me anymore".  
"Nothing except Steve" I mumbled.  
I felt him stiffen and begin to pull away.  
"Clara, I don't want to argue about this".  
I pulled him closer, I didn't want to argue too.  
"I don't want to start an argument but I just want you to know that I still think that we should talk to him. Now more than ever".  
Bucky stopped trying to pull away and paused, his eyes pinning mine in place.  
"What do you mean now more than ever"?  
"My father says that Panthers on the move again, he's on the East coast like us and I'm not so sure that it's a coincidence".  
I was delighted to see that this news did shake him because he scratched his jaw nervously and looked away from my face.  
"I'm sure your father doesn’t think its that much of a threat if he’s letting us stay here".  
"Bucky, we can't afford to fight Hydra, the FBI, The Panther and maybe even Crossbones all by ourselves. We just can't do it and I won't let you kill yourself because you don't want to ask for help".  
This time I pinned his eyes in place, moving my face close to his so he would meet my eyes.  
"What exactly did your father say"? There was uncertainty in his eyes and I pounced on it eagerly.

"He thinks that if we stay in the hotel we should be safe but if he follows us to our new cover house in Denver then he'll bring in an expert to help figure this guy out and get rid of him".  
"See? He doesn't too seem concerned".  
"Bucky, I know my father and you probably have more experience about things like this but when is it a bad idea to get help? I have a bad feeling about this Bucky and I usually follow my instinct. Isn't that spy 101"?  
Bucky bit his lip and for the first time I noticed what I'd been unable to see before. He wanted this as much as I did, he wanted to see Steve but he just wouldn't let himself believe it. It hurt him to be away from Steve but he still did it.  
"Please just think about it. I know how much you want to see Steve again and don't deny it because I can see it in your eyes. Please just consider it". I twined my fingers through his as I watched his face.  
I knew I'd gotten through when he finally met my eyes.  
"I know you're right Clara, I know it but I just don't want to put Steve in danger. I can't do that to him, not again". Bucky paused and held his hand up.  
"However, I don't like putting you in more danger because I don't want to put Steve in danger so if he follows us to Denver or if we have any more close calls.....I will contact Steve myself".  
I breathed a sigh of relief but instantly felt guilty.  
I had put Steve in more danger by contacting him and Bucky might never forgive me for that. I was alright with that but the part that I was really worried about was that I knew that I'd gladly do it again.


	8. Chapter Eight

The rest of the day passed in a blur of wonderfully unhealthy food, movies and snuggling. We stayed up talking and kissing late into the night, the wonderful view at our feet and his strong arms around me. I swear I'd never get used to calling myself his girlfriend. Everyday it was like a mini miracle that I still got to hear his voice or hear his laugh.  
The next day dawned bright and warm even though it was winter, I suppose that was California for you but alas we wouldn’t get to spend any time in the sun. It was back to work for team Hydra or bust.  
We discussed details about the party after breakfast from the invite we’d been given in our files- exits, speakers, potential guests and our aims. Bucky decided that we’d appear as if we’d just met in the hotel and had struck an impromptu friendship being both alone. It was my idea that we take the chance during the cocktail hour to bug as many important Hydra officials as possible and then strike up conversations with other young potential members. Bucky agreed that was the best approach. I also suggested that we bug potential FBI personnel. Bucky thought this was unnecessary and could put us in more danger but he eventually agreed when I said that we’d probably never have such an opportunity again.  
At midday, a call from the lobby told us that we had a package and it turned out to be several garment bags and boxes from Saks and Brooks Brothers: our clothing for the party. Bucky wasn’t interested in the clothing, he just remained at the mahogany coffee table, poring over his file. I couldn’t wait to see my cover come to life so I unzipped the bags and tore off the crepe paper in double time.  
My dress was exactly my size, a navy blue jersey wrap dress with silk trim and it was accompanied by a simple single pearl necklace in a flat box and my shoes turned out to be sensible patent leather pumps. The whole outfit was expensive yet tasteful, pretty but wouldn’t be particularly memorable. It was perfect for a work cum criminal organization party. The last box opened up to reveal a long, wavy red human hair wig that would cover my own wildly curly dark hair and turn me into Theresa Grey.  
We went over our covers again:  
Theresa Grey  
Bio organics scientist  
Works for the FBI in research facility in Billings, MT  
Interest in joining Hydra.  
Invited to the party last minute by a male coworker named Ian Foxglove  
Christian Burke  
Analyst from the CIA in Salt Lake City.  
Invited to the party by a cousin of Ian - Kevin Conners  
Wants to join but is unsure  
After we’d done all that, Bucky went in the bathroom to have a shower in readiness for the party and I sat down to watch some TV before my phone rang. I recognized the number and immediately felt panic claw at my stomach. However, I ignored it and just reached for a bug.  
“Hello”.  
“Hey C, you busy”?  
I scoffed.  
“No I’m not busy. As if that would stop you from calling Sebastian”.  
“You’re right, it wouldn’t stop me”.  
“What do you want now”?  
“I told you before, I just want to talk”.  
“Aren’t you busy dealing with the paperwork that comes from electing another Hydra leader in Europe or something”?  
“Well, I have others to do that boring stuff for me”.  
“Hmm well I guess you would”.  
“What are you up to now? What are you wearing”?  
“Sebastian” I warned.  
"You can’t stop a guy from trying can you? What are you doing now”?  
“Why do you want to know”?  
“Our deal from the other night still stands, tell me something and I’ll tell you something”.  
I sighed heavily.  
“I’m just watching TV”.  
“Not playing tongue hockey with your beau”?  
I felt sick to my stomach but forced myself to answer.  
“No, I’m not Sebastian”.  
“You’d think the life of a CIA agent would be much more interesting than that”.  
“I thought your life would be too interesting to bother with little old me anymore”.  
“Well nobody gets what they want do they”?  
“No I guess not". I replied dryly. “What are you doing right now”?  
“Oh you know, I just finished a really great workout and I think I might find a pretty girl to fuck tonight”.  
I rolled my eyes and forced myself to keep talking to this douchebag.  
“Why the silence C? Jealous”?  
“Not even a little bit, besides I have plans with my own beau so why would I be”?  
“Oh yes plans that involve nothing fun as I assume you’re still in your virgin state”?  
“Is that your question”?  
“Yes”.  
“Yes I am still a virgin”.  
“God, what is it with you guys”?  
I ignored his gloating tone and pounced.  
“My turn, which is your most powerful base in North America: Mexico or Wyoming”?  
“Always so professional but a deal is a deal. Our most powerful base of operations is in Wyoming”.  
Good so my father had been right. If we managed to get rid of the Wyoming base, it would really run them into the ground.  
“Now my turn. Do you still love me”?  
“You shot me. What makes you think I ever loved you”?  
“Answer the question”. I couldn’t help but sense a little desperation in his voice. Aw, he was just another psychopath who wanted to be loved.  
“No I don’t love you anymore”.  
“Aha! So you did”.  
“Did I? If I remember correctly, our relationship was fake”.  
“Get over Gwen C, I’ve always maintained that I was never serious about her like I was about you”.  
“Aww how touching. I just might retch”.  
I heard the shower turn off and a moment later, Bucky came out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel around his waist and I sucked in a breath. His muscled form was glistening with water droplets and his wet rock star hair was hanging into his aquamarine eyes.  
“What’s wrong Clara? Is your boyfriend there”?  
“Nothing’s wrong” I answered a little quickly.  
Sebastian roared with malicious laughter.  
“Oh he is there! Put him on the phone”.  
“I will put him on the phone the day he wants to talk to you. Right before hell freezes over”.  
Bucky mouthed the word: Sebastian and I just nodded. Bucky walked away into the bed room and I groaned in frustration, being an agent sucked. I had to sit here with my unrequited lust listening to my idiotic ex -boyfriend while my actual sex –on –legs boyfriend sauntered around half naked in the other room. Or did I?  
“I’ll be right back, hold on”.  
Sebastian began to protest but I had already put down the phone.  
I all but ran into the other room after Bucky and luckily he was still half naked.  
He turned at my approach.  
“Is the call over already”?  
I just walked faster.  
“No it isn’t”.  
I slammed my body into his, my arms wrapping around his body and my lips pressed onto his surprised mouth. I kissed him voraciously and he responded with a similar fire, his hands pulling on my waist as he drove me back into the wall. My God he smelled so good, masculine and fresh with a hint of his typical Bucky scent. I pushed my fingers into his wet hair roughly and I heard him groan and he attacked me, pulling me even closer to him and kissing me harder until I thought I might break from all the sensations. I could feel the softness of his lips, the prickly side of his jaw pressed into my cheek and I could feel all the muscles in his torso pressing through my now damp t- shirt, his steel arm pressed into my lower back. I heard myself moan as if from far away when his mouth moved down my jaw, to my chest and the tops of my breasts. I felt my hand move down his stomach, teasing and caressing the sensitive skin below his bellybutton all the way to the top of his towel. He hissed in a breath as my hand delved lower, under the folds of the towel to hold onto the hardness that I’d felt against my leg. I felt his hand clamp over my wrist as he moved his hips out of reach and we pulled apart.  
We looked at each other for a few moments, the lust still coursing through our veins and struggling to catch our breaths.  
“Don’t you have a phone call to finish”? He finally asked.  
“Shit”! I cried sprinting from the room.  
I picked up the phone hoping he was still there.  
“Hello”?  
“Hello Clara, I’m still here but I’m not very happy with you”.  
I closed my eyes relieved.  
“I’m sorry but something came up”.  
“What did you have to run a marathon or something?”  
“It’s a long story but where were we”?  
“I don’t know Clara, I feel like you owe me two answers now”.  
“Really”?  
“Yes, my time is valuable too”.  
“Fine” I grumbled.  
“1. What does he have that I don’t have”?  
“Are you serious”?  
“Yes I am perfectly serious”.  
“Well he’s kind, generous, compassionate, funny and intelligent” I paused but decided to add in a dig. “Well that and his rugged good looks”.  
I heard Sebastian scoff.  
“Apart from the fact that he’s practically a fossil and a homicidal maniac. You also talk like I’m not handsome”.  
“Yeah in a manicured sort of way. He’d be handsome in any age” I held in my laughter, preparing for him to puff up like a frog and he did.  
“Manicured? So you like a real man is that it? I could be kind and compassionate- hell all those things for you”.  
I raised my eyebrows.  
“Yeah right, how long would that last? A day”?  
“Jesus Clara, you have so little faith in me” He sounded a little hurt and I almost forgot that he shot me. Almost.  
“Well you did physically hurt me and my current boyfriend so”…  
“Still not over that? Forgiveness is the first step”.  
“I guess it is, maybe one day we’ll get there”.  
“My second question is and think carefully before you answer this, would you ever give me a second chance”?  
I pretended to give it pause.  
“Um no but thanks for the offer”.  
“Are you sure”? His voice had gone silkily soft and I suddenly felt as if I was being watched.  
“No I don’t think you and I would work”.  
Sebastian was quiet for a moment.  
“I’m really disappointed in your answer Clara. Maybe next time we see each other, you’ll change your mind”.  
“Maybe but I believe it’s my turn now”.  
“One more question and then I have to go. I am a busy man after all” His voice had turned charming and indulgent once more, making me think perhaps I’d imagined the danger in his voice from before.  
“Where are you now”?  
“Closer than you think. I’m still on the East coast”.  
I suppressed a shiver at his words and had to remind myself that there was no way he knew where I was. There was no way he could track my phone and besides, if he knew, what was he waiting for? They would have attacked by now. I still couldn’t shake off the icky sense that danger was nearby.  
“Good evening Sebastian” I was ready for this conversation to be over and to be back in Bucky’s arms.  
“Good evening Clara, see you soon”.  
I hung up the phone without further ado and felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Bucky was standing behind me in the doorway to the bedroom, his hands in his pockets. Unfortunately for me, he was now fully dressed in clothes I’d never seen before. He was wearing a black two piece suit with a bowtie that was tailored to an inch of his six feet and muscular frame. I felt the breath leave my body as I took him in, the black and white was harsh but somehow made his skin look more tanned and his eyes took on a deep shade of azure. I stood up and couldn’t resist pressing my hands onto his chest, feeling his body through the expensive material.  
“You look amazing” I breathed.  
He chuckled and pulled my hands away from his chest. With two fully fleshed hands.  
I gasped and looked at his hands, both of them looked identical and perfect. Bucky put his left hand up to caress my cheek as I just stared up at him dumbfounded.  
“Don’t look so surprised, they made me a special hand out of the same material as our masks”.  
“Oh yes, I should have realized”.  
I closed my eyes as his hand stroked the side of my face softly. It was even warm! How did they do that?  
“How did the call go”?  
“Oh you know, the same as usual”.  
My eyes opened as I remembered that it hadn’t exactly been the same as usual.  
“What’s wrong”? Bucky frowned down at me.  
“I just feel like Sebastian is somehow onto us. That he knows everything and he’s just pretending not to”.  
“What do you mean? Do you think we should ditch the party”?  
“No I don’t think he knows that much otherwise he would have attacked by now. Besides, if we don’t go this mission is all but dead”.  
Bucky nodded his head.  
“You’re right but if you’re still feeling off about it then you know what your father said”.  
He had said to run and to call him if I ever felt scared or unsure.  
I nodded absently still caught up in my thoughts.  
“You should listen to the conversation and tell me what you think. I have to go get ready if we’re going to make the party by 7”.  
We really couldn’t afford to miss this party, it was probably going to be the best place to get Intel and there was no way we could storm and shut down the base in Sheridan knowing as little as we did now. We needed more information and we needed it now. The longer we spent on the run, the less luck we were going to have.  
I took longer than I should have in the shower but the water helped me clear my head. What was I thinking letting Sebastian get in my head? Bucky was right, I had been in love with him and that’s why he bothered me so much. I just didn’t want to think about being in love with someone as sick, twisted and wrong as he was. No, he was just trying to scare me and we really didn’t need that right now when everything counted on tonight. He probably did know that we were planning another heist or even that we’d be at the party but he didn’t know all the nuances of our plan. He had just wanted me to choke and say something that I wasn’t supposed to.  
I got dressed and saved the wig for last, brushing it out in the mirror. I couldn’t help thinking how bizarre I looked with fair wavy hair. The colour didn’t even suit my complexion and my dark eyes looked so severe in my face.  
Bucky didn’t appear to think so though, he wolf whistled when I walked in the room, my heels clacking on the floorboards.  
“Shut up” I murmured suddenly embarrassed.  
He moved closer to me, gesturing for me to twirl in the clinging dress.  
“You really look wonderful, sexy even”. He pulled me into his arms at that, his eyes twinkling down at me.  
“Sexy eh”? I raised an eyebrow, my mind already going back to our interrupted moment before.  
“Yes, it makes me want to take you out, show you the town”.  
“I know” I pouted wistfully. It would have been wonderful for Bucky and I just to be able to go out on a nice dinner date once in a while but alas that was not the lot of two Hydra fugitives. God I couldn’t wait till this whole thing was over and it was just the two of us.  
I pulled away reluctantly (as usual) and paced back to our luggage.  
“We have to put on our masks now, it’s almost 7”.  
Bucky grimaced. He hadn’t liked the idea of wearing a mask, he was convinced it was going to interfere with his ability to fight and to be honest, I wasn’t that excited about it too. How much could a mask help us, I mean even if it was developed by the CIA, it still was just a mask.  
I pulled out both our masks, handing Bucky his and keeping mine.  
Bucky was looking at his with a concerned look on his face that made me smile.  
“Come on, we’ll do it on three”.  
He nodded and I counted: “1,2,3”.  
I put the mask on and I immediately felt it clamp over my face tightly. It took me so by surprise that I almost panicked and pulled it off but instead I relaxed and smoothed down the edges underneath my ears and at my hairline, deftly pulling it under the wig. When I was done, I opened my eyes and saw that Bucky had opened his eyes too. Except he wasn’t Bucky anymore, he just had Bucky’s dark hair but had Christian’s pimply sallow face and his eyes were a pale watery blue now. From the shock I could see in Bucky’s eyes, I could immediately tell that I probably looked every part like Theresa and nothing like myself.  
“Oh my God, you look just like him! It’s so weird”. I paced forward and poked at Bucky’s face. It was so odd, it felt soft and pliable just like real skin. There were even little blonde hairs on the chin and the skin around his large nose was a splotchy red.  
“So do you. You actually have freckles. It’s so strange” Bucky breathed back at me. He pinched my chin, my left cheek and then my nose. I swatted his hand away playfully.  
“You look terrible with your own hair though, thank God Christian is a blonde otherwise he’d look like an 80s hair band wannabe”.  
“80s hair band”? Bucky repeated blankly.  
“You know Whitesnake, Poison, Guns n Roses…..Oh never mind! Just put on your wig. I’m going to look at Theresa”. It was so easy to forget at times that Bucky was from another time and didn’t understand some aspects of pop culture. They just flew over his head and it was another thing that I couldn’t help resenting Hydra for. Another thing they’d taken away from him.  
In the bathroom mirror I had to do a double take. It was so odd, I looked just like the photo I’d seen of Theresa, a young pretty red head with a perfect Disney nose and a tiny formation of freckles. I tugged at it, staring enviously at my now deep jade eyes. Now that was something I’d have loved to keep of Theresa’s, brown eyes could get so boring sometimes and I thought that they’d go perfectly with my hair.  
Bucky or should I say Christian appeared at my side and we now saw two perfect strangers where our reflections should have been. His hair was now a choppy bowl cut, a crisp pale almost white blonde that made him look less pale and more like a teenage delinquent instead of a CIA analyst.  
“Jesus, this guy’s practically a child” Bucky murmured, smoothing his weak chin.  
“Yeah, when was the last time you didn’t lift 300 pounds every day and shave”? I teased.  
“I never looked like this, even when I was actually a teenager”.  
“Oh I would have loved to have seen you as a teenager” I replied wistfully.  
“No you wouldn’t, I was self- involved and only interested in girls for one thing” he murmured darkly.  
“Their wonderful personalities”? I taunted.  
“Hahaha” he scoffed.  
After, I packed up both our kits into my handbag (ceramic gun, silencer, eyeliner laser, fingerprint forger, gold hairpin bugs and my razor sharp tweezers as well as Bucky’s things. He kept his gun and silencer but I carried his knives, mini magnetized explosives, mini rocket launcher and the mirror which read my bugs), we went downstairs and joined the line to enter the ballroom which was on the ground floor. We blended into the crowd of be- suited and cocktail dressed compatriots. I was surprised at how normal they all seemed, we all would have been perfectly at home going to some fundraiser or office party. We weren’t even the youngest there, it came as a real wake up call to stop seeing Hydra as purely lethal looking men with huge guns. Sebastian was part of Hydra and most girls that met him were probably attracted to him.  
Our table was near the exit which I couldn’t have been more pleased with. The room was all dark wood, decorated with abstract expensive centerpieces and copper colored cutlery. We sat on brocade chairs and chatted amongst ourselves as the rest of the ambiently lit room was filled with more guests and important looking white old men. No expense had been spared, the room was surrounded on all sides by a beautiful panorama of Los Angeles and the smell of delicious food was wafting from a set of double doors that clearly led to the kitchen.  
While we sipped on our glasses of wine (slowly so we wouldn’t get drunk) we tried to pick out the FBI and CIA agents. I couldn’t really tell but Bucky who probably had more experience said that the loud, talkative males probably worked for the FBI. He pointed out a grey haired man who already had a glass of scotch in one hand and was laughing loudly with another woman near our table. Our agents were tougher to pick out with them choosing a more subtle way of blending in seeing as they actually weren’t invited. Bucky after a while pointed out a sharp faced looking man in glasses as possibly being the CIA type, especially since he hadn’t glanced in our direction the entire time as he actually knew we were also uninvited CIA agents.  
Our conversation was interrupted when the unspeakable happened and my whole body froze in terror. Sebastian sauntered in accompanied by two muscular men in dark suits, his customary arrogant smirk plastered on his face. It was like everything had slowed down and I every step he took past me was magnified. He smiled at all the women and nodded at the men, charming his way over to his table in his tailored Armani suit, his white teeth shinier than his titanium Mont Blanc cufflinks. Bucky saw him too and I felt his hand close reassuringly over mine underneath the table as if he knew just what seeing him in person did to me. The only thing that kept me sitting at that table was Bucky’s hand on mine and the thought that I was wearing a mask and he had no idea that it wasn’t me.  
It was only when he finally sat down across the room and started a conversation with a distinguished looking man that I was able to relax and let go of Bucky’s hand.  
Bucky looked at me, a concerned look in his foreign pale blue eyes and leaned in close.  
“Are you okay”?  
I nodded and took a sip of water to clear my head.  
“He was closer than I thought he was”. I felt panic grip my heart as a scary thought came to the forefront of my mind.  
“Do you think he knows and he was just playing with us”?  
Bucky looked around and I felt guilty. I’d said that last part a little too loud.  
When he was sure that no one had heard, he leaned in again.  
“No. Subtlety isn’t his strong suit, if he knew, we’d know”.  
I nodded. He was right and I knew it. That didn’t mean that I still wasn’t uneasy about it.  
I felt Bucky stroke the back of my hand under the table and I looked up into Christian’s smiling face.  
I doubted that Christian had ever looked this handsome.  
“Just relax Theresa, enjoy the party. It’ll be over before you know it”. He winked at me and sipped his wine. His face looked so goofy that I couldn’t help giggling and he also laughed his rich beautiful Bucky laugh even though it was Christian who I saw with my eyes. In that instant it was easy to forget our covers and Sebastian sitting a few meters away. It was so sweet of him to cheer me up and it was something that I kept remembering in the days to come.  
Our laughter was interrupted when a tall handsome dimpled man with sandy blonde hair slid into the seat next to mine, tapping me on the shoulder. It was Ian Foxglove, he looked even better in person than he had looked in the photo with deep green eyes and a light smattering of freckles on the bridge of his aquiline nose.  
“Theresa, hey”.  
I took a deep breath and smiled back. I had to be very careful around Ian, him being a coworker and all.  
“Hey Ian, how are you”?  
“I’m good. I just got in a few hours ago and I’m totally wiped out. When did you get here”?  
He had a deep country brogue and I couldn’t help wondering once more what a good country boy like him was doing in Hydra.  
“I can imagine. I got in a little earlier today and I must confess that I had a little time to relax”.  
He scowled good-naturedly.  
“I’m so jealous but before I make a total fool of myself, who’s your friend”?  
He nodded to Bucky who looked stone faced back at him.  
“Oh, this is Christian. We just met today and he’s from Salt Lake City, apparently he knows your cousin”?  
“Cousin”? He asked as he extended his hand and shook Bucky’s right hand warmly.  
Bucky cleared his throat and spoke up.  
“Yes, Theresa and I were just wondering where he is actually. I know your cousin, Kevin”.  
Ian smiled as recognition sparked in his eyes and I was relieved at that he hadn’t noticed the way he’d emphasized the ‘Theresa and I’.  
“Oh yeah, Kev’s too sick to come. Its kind of a bummer as I haven’t seen him since Christmas”.  
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know what he’s got”?  
“The flu. Its been going around. My ma has it too”.  
“That’s terrible. How come you seem like the picture of good health”?  
He raised his eyebrows and flexed his muscles.  
“I must have skipped that gene since I’m as healthy as horse”.  
His voice was so laced with innuendo that I heard Bucky scoff next to me.  
I reached out to squeeze one of his arms playfully.  
“Oh yes you are. Do you work out”? I batted my lashes up at Ian and ignored the nudge from Bucky.  
Ian was clearly into Theresa and I would be just about the worst spy in history if I didn’t exploit it.  
Ian went on to describe how he loved running and had his own mini gym back at home in Billings. I added in that I did yoga and wanted to get into something more intense like running and Ian was more than happy to add a running buddy to his daily routine. Even inviting me back to his house for a workout sometime.  
All the while I moved closer and closer to him until I was able to slip a hairpin out of my bag and into his pocket.  
I only slid away when the podium at the front of the room was taken up by a jolly looking man in his thirties with a contagious smile. Bucky glanced at me a few times but I acted as if I hadn’t seen him. He would understand in due time.  
“Hello all, I’d like to extend a warm welcome on behalf of Hydra Corp and our esteemed leader Mr Sebastian Carter”. Sebastian stood up and waved to everyone, an equally toothy grin on his face. I couldn’t help wondering if he had a bulletproof vest on underneath his suit. I doubted that he did, it would have ruined the lines.  
Sebastian resumed his seat and the man who identified himself as the secretary of the North American branch, Fred Armitage continued speaking.  
“I don’t want to bore you all more than necessary but all I ask is that you enjoy tonight and take the time to speak to one another. I’m sure you’re all starving so our speeches will have to wait until we’re all fed”.  
The audience chuckled as Fred went back to sit at Sebastian’s table and the room was flooded by waiters in white from the kitchen.  
The first course was delicious: it was either a gourmet salad Nicoise with salty anchovies and sweet heirloom tomatoes or two tiny chicken cutlets seasoned in mustard and wrapped in prosciutto. I had to swap my chicken with Bucky’s salad because he didn’t do well with ‘foreign food’. I kept the conversation going with Ian, remarking on his love of the salad and trying to include Bucky in the discussion. It was for naught because I could tell that Bucky hated Ian, from his country accent to his love of healthy food. I couldn’t help liking him despite his Hydra connections. I found out that Ian really didn’t want to join but was only there after his uncle had insisted. His family was originally Austrian and some of his extended family still held traditional values. I sensed that he wanted to say more but held back, unease in his eyes. I didn’t press the issue but kept it in mind for later.  
The main meal was served soon after that and I saw that Bucky had begun a conversation with an elderly lady sitting on his left. Bucky was clearly laying it on, laughing at her jokes and winking conspiratorially. It must have been the most excitement she’d had in a long time and I must admit I was happy for her, Bucky was her compadre after all. They were probably born within twenty years of each other.  
The speeches begun and I reached into my bag, turning on the recording function on my phone. Fred wasn’t speaking anymore, instead it was a dour man in his forties who spoke nothing but numbers to us for a straight forty minutes. It was all just what they wanted to achieve in the next few years – a new North American facility in Death Valley with the help of a few donors.  
I snorted and whispered that it was just like an infomercial except far less exciting. Ian laughed and whispered that they never stopped asking for money, his father had just donated a large sum only a few years before. I saw Bucky shoot Ian a hair raising glare mid conversation and Ian remarked that he thought that Christian didn’t like him very much. I just smiled and thought you have no idea.  
The next speech was if possible, even worse, even if the young female speaker didn’t drone on and on. It was a total recruitment drive, she spoke of nothing but the benefits of Hydra. The yearly mixer in Cancun, the choice to intern with several companies run by Hydra as well as the ability to be a part of something bigger and better than one’s self. I tuned out and focused my attention on Sebastian- he was now sitting next to Gwen’s father Malcom (I hadn’t noticed him enter) and they appeared to be deep in conversation. I nudged Bucky and gestured with my chin silently over to their table. I wished that I had a camera or something to record their conversation with, I’m sure it would be worth more than anything we’d get tonight. I excused myself from the table and headed towards the ladies room, passing their table and desperately wishing that I had a camera. It would be too obvious so I settled for casually dropping a gold pin on the floor by their table and hoped that would be enough. Sebastian glanced at me with obvious interest and I looked away hiding my disgust. He really was pathetic.  
I went to the ladies room and sat in an empty cubicle, using the time to see if the bugs were working. Both of them appeared to be active and I just prayed that we’d be able to hear what was being said over the din of the party. I was about to leave the toilet when two women entered the bathroom, their conversation seemed really interesting so I just made myself comfortable.  
“I swear that Sebastian Carter is so hot, how old is he again”?  
“I heard he’s still in his twenties and single”.  
“How can a catch like that still be single? I swear he had a girlfriend last year. Didn’t she come to the fundraiser in San Francisco last summer”?  
I thought they’d been talking about me until they mentioned the fundraiser. I would definitely remember going to San Francisco last year.  
“Oh you mean that pretty little blonde? I heard they’re just friends but she was so into him I kind of felt bad for her. I just can’t remember her name. Didn’t it start with a ‘G’ or something”?  
“Oh I remember her. I think my little sister Megan hangs with her crowd and she said her name was Gwen. She had like the best highlights I’ve ever seen, Meg’s convinced she’s the next Gwyneth Paltrow”.  
“Actually I don’t really feel bad for her anymore. Rumor has it that her Dad is actually the head of the FBI and he wants them to work out. That’s why he’s pissed that Gwen isn’t here”.  
“That’s so desperate, I always kind of hate the new money people always trying so hard. It’s like relax”.  
I heard the other girl pause and lower her voice.  
“I heard that he actually wanted to be with that girl who was all over the news last year. Cassy or whatever- her Dad’s the head of the CIA but she didn’t bite. Gwen’s like sloppy seconds”.  
“That girl must be the dumbest girl alive. As if you wouldn’t bite into any part of his sexy body”.  
“I know right but I heard that she ran off with some other guy and he’s like totally part of the avengers”.  
I almost snorted. If only they knew.  
One of them groaned.  
“Oh my God, I know we’re totally like team Hydra or whatever but who wouldn’t do Captain America”?  
“He is totally doable”.  
I heard their voices fade away as they left the bathroom.  
So that was it? The missing FBI and Hydra link. Malcom was desperate to get into Hydra, that’s why Gwen had always fawned over Sebastian and what they had been talking about so heatedly earlier. Everything made so much sense now. Why would the FBI risk such a scandal though? If it came out, they’d be in serious hot water. What was in it for them?  
I was stumped for a moment before it clicked. Malcom and my father had always been rivals, Malcom probably thought that the only way he could increase his standing and compete with the CIA was by joining Hydra. Hydra was a family run business and there was no better way to form an alliance than with a marriage- that’s why Gwen always went back to Sebastian even though she clearly liked him but he never liked her back. Her father needed it to work. Especially since the government was putting so much pressure on the FBI to reign in the Avengers- he needed more resources and Hydra was another ball game. They were organized, wealthy and armed. I bet Sebastian was being advised to marry Gwen everyday by his colleagues, they must have jumped at the idea to combine resources and wanted to become more legitimate. Even if the FBI was so called sloppy seconds, it was better than nothing. Sebastian probably didn’t see it that way. He’d always wanted nothing but the best and he would stop at nothing to get it. It wasn’t his fault, he had been raised that way. Sebastian would never move on until he had the thing that he couldn’t, it just wasn’t in his nature and I was sure that Malcom knew it but just wouldn’t accept it. That’s when I knew that if I didn’t stop Sebastian then he would chase me to the end of the earth or until he got tired (highly unlikely).  
I went back to the party encouraged by the break I’d had in the bathroom and I was desperate to tell Bucky what all I’d heard. He wasn’t at the table though and I had to plaster on another smile for Ian who as sweet as he was, was beginning to feel like a full time job. The next few speakers were also quite dull, it was a bunch of Hydra members talking about how joining Hydra had changed their lives for the better. Ian kept cracking jokes and I took Bucky’s absence as my chance to really nail him.  
“Yeah I totally get what you mean about family pressure. My parents really want me to join and meet up with some great guy” I flirted.  
“Have you got your eye on somebody”? He winked.  
“Oh I don’t know. Maybe”…I leaned in real close and lowered my voice to a whisper.  
“I’m kind of scared by the whole thing. I don’t know but it seems a little like dressed up Nazism”.  
Ian’s face was unreadable and for a moment I was scared that I’d made a mistake.  
He looked around before replying, his mouth right next to my ear.  
“That’s what I don’t like about it either. My family, we’re one of the founding members and there’s a lot of people who don’t agree with the direction that it’s being taken in. At first it was just about well it was about pride and patriotism”. I raised my eyebrow skeptically at that but let him continue, scared that it would spoil the moment.  
“There are a lot of people who want out but are afraid of leaving. The Carter’s don’t take well to dissention and obviously there would be retaliation if they left. In fact there’s been rumors for ages that there are some insurgent groups, particularly on the base in Sheridan”.  
“Insurgent”? I pressed.  
Ian hesitated and I could sense the fear in his face. He was about to clam up and I knew I couldn’t let that happen.  
I twined my fingers with his under the table and squeezed.  
“Come on, you can trust me Ian”.  
He clenched his jaw and breathed out heavily.  
“Okay but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Just like what I told you last time”.  
I nodded my head even though I had no idea what he’d told me last time.  
“There’s a shadowy figure who’s really high up and I mean high up. My older brother Jason who works on the base says that she goes by the name Calypso. No one knows who she really is but she’s the real deal. She’s been planning a coup for years”.  
“With who? Who are the people who want out”?  
Ian bit his lip looking even more visibly shaken than I’d ever seen him look.  
“Obviously my brother wants out, my cousin Kev, a few of the Andersons, the O’Brien’s, the Williams and the majority of the Payne’s want out”.  
“Do you know why”-  
Ian opened his mouth but I saw his gaze slide up over my head and I turned around.  
Bucky/Christian was standing behind me with his hand on the back of my chair, a huge scowl on his face and I could see a muscle jumping in his jaw.  
I quickly moved away from Ian’s chair suddenly guilty and my face flaming. I wondered how long he’d been standing there for.  
“You’re blocking my seat” he finally said, his eyes boring into mine.  
“Sorry” I coughed nervously and moved away, knowing fully well that I wasn’t in his way.  
Ian glanced sideways at me and mouthed the words ‘he doesn’t like me’ as Bucky sat down.  
I spent the rest of the dinner chatting amicably to Ian, trying to make the extrication a little less painful. I mean who wouldn’t feel guilty pretending to like a guy all night knowing fully well you had lied to him and had zero intention of ever seeing him again. I just hoped that Theresa really did like him because Ian seemed like quite a catch.  
Bucky excused himself from the party, his goodbye was short but I couldn’t ignore the two hundred degree glare he sent in my direction so I also decided that I had to head off only a few minutes later, citing an early morning yoga class as my excuse. It was better to face Bucky sooner than later, the longer I put it off, the worse it would be for me. I had never taken him for the jealous type but I suppose he was a man after all.  
I sent one more look towards Sebastian’s table but his attention was diverted once more, he was laughing at something the secretary Fred had said and had a full glass of vodka in his hand. He didn’t look like a man who was going to take out a gun any moment and have Bucky and I dragged kicking and screaming into the back of a van. Sebastian was blissfully unaware and I’d never been gladder.  
I got back to our room and found that Bucky as I knew and loved him had resurfaced, he was sitting on the edge of the bed writing down notes on a piece of hotel stationery in his customary pyjamas : pyjama pants and no shirt. He looked up and scowled at me the second I entered the room.  
“Oh here she is, Mata Hari”.  
I just kicked off my shoes and pulled off my wig exhaustedly.  
“Oh don’t be like that. You know it’s not like that”.  
He put the stationery aside and crossed his arms over his chest.  
“It most certainly didn’t look like nothing”.  
I didn’t answer, I just reached behind my ears and pulled the mask off, loving the feel of cool air rush over my face.  
“Clara, you haven’t answered me”. I heard him stand up and walk towards me and I opened my eyes.  
“Bucky, there’s nothing to tell. Besides its Theresa that Ian likes, I just played on that to make him trust me”.  
“Really”? He scoffed.  
“Really. That was all, I have no feelings for Ian, sure he was nice and handsome but”-  
He cut me off.  
“You thought he was handsome”?  
I sighed exasperated and sank onto the bed.  
“That’s beside the point” I replied.  
“You should have seen yourself, I’ve never seen you flirt so hard. Everything was Ian this, you’re so muscular that” he tossed his hair sarcastically and I felt myself blush.  
“I did not do that, sure I was flirting but”-  
“Oh Ian we should go running sometime” he mocked in a high voice.  
“I do not sound like that”! I replied indignantly.  
He knelt in front of me, batting his eyelashes in a ridiculous impression of me.  
“Oh Ian, do you work out”?  
I swatted his shoulder annoyed now.  
“Stop it! You know I didn’t have a choice”.  
“Clara, you so did have a choice. Even you have to admit you overplayed it with Ian, I don’t know why you did it. The guy’s totally empty-headed he would have followed you to the moon”. He replied seriously.  
“I get that you’re jealous but please don’t be mean to Ian, he’s a sweet guy and totally doesn’t deserve your snarky comments. Maybe if you weren’t so empty headed yourself you’d see that you don’t have to compete with Ian”.  
Bucky frowned at me.  
“Hey I am not jealous”!  
I just crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.  
“Okay maybe a little” he consented, a guilty look on his face.  
“A little? You haven’t even asked what I found out. Maybe if you had, then you’d understand why I had to flirt so hard”.  
He took my hands in his.  
“Okay. What did you find out”?  
I just smiled a little smugly and told Bucky all that Ian had told me, as well as what had occurred in the bathroom and my bugging of Ian.  
I must admit that Bucky looked pretty stunned after I finished.  
“Are you sure he was telling you the truth”?  
I bit my lip and nodded my head.  
“You didn’t see his face. He seemed pretty shaken up and I really had to push him to talk. I could tell that it had been bothering him for a while”.  
He frowned thoughtfully.  
“Who do you think this Calypso is”?  
I shook my head.  
“I have no idea but my best guess is that she’s tied to the base. I don’t think she was there- there weren’t many female leaders there and I doubt she was the ditzy Fox News reporter wannabe”.  
Bucky frowned at that.  
“What’s Fox News”?  
“Nothing you’d want to watch anyway. I meant the only female speaker”.  
“Oh” he scratched his stubble for a moment.  
“I think you might be right, Mary also seemed reluctant to be there. On more than one occasion she made it out that she wanted to be anywhere else”.  
“Mary? Oh you mean that old dear you were talking to the entire time”? I crossed my arms playfully.  
“I could say that you were pretty taken by her, if I were petty I could say that I was jealous” I teased.  
He narrowed his eyes at me.  
“Oh please Clara, now you’re being ridiculous”.  
I widened my eyes in mock innocence.  
“What? I’m ridiculous? You and Mary are almost age mates”.  
“Ha ha ha” he returned deadpan.  
“Don’t tell me she didn’t think it was odd that a young thing like Christian was interested in talking to her”.  
He smiled a little then.  
“She did call me an old soul”.  
“See”?  
Bucky looked away from me but I could see he wanted to laugh.  
“It’s not important” he turned back with a straight face.  
“What’s important now is that we send all we know to your father”.  
“Hey, you haven’t told me much about your night”! I protested.  
He half grimaced, half smiled.  
“There’s not much to tell, Mary didn’t know much since she lost touch with it all when her husband died fifteen years ago. Now her sons are in charge and they don’t tell her much”.  
“She didn’t say anything strange? Nothing at all”?  
He frowned and bit his lip as he thought, his eyes clouded over.  
“No, she didn’t say much except that her sons had been coming to Los Angeles more often lately. She thought they were acting the way her husband used to act when he was negotiating a really stressful deal”.  
His eyes met mine, suddenly crystal clear.  
“Do you think that has anything to do with the FBI deal”?  
“I don’t know. Malcom does live in LA, I once overheard Gwen say so”.  
“It would explain how they’re running everything with the CIA being none the wiser. My Dad’s based in New York- it’s always been like that. The FBI’s territory is LA and the CIA is in New York. On opposite sides of the continent. My Dad’s always joked about that”.  
“It’s a shame none of her sons were there. It would have been nice to bug them”.  
“Yeah it is. Did Mary know why they weren’t there”?  
“She said they had to go to Washington for some reason. She thought they were coming but this morning they called to say that the boss wanted them in Washington”.  
“Why Washington? Sebastian himself is here” I asked.  
“I don’t know but I sure would like to find out. I have a bad feeling about all of this”.  
“So do I” I replied even more exhausted than before. “It’s always like no matter how much we achieve, they’re always a step ahead”.  
“Knowing Hydra, they’re two steps ahead” he replied, a dark look in his eyes.  
I sensed that Bucky was about to start brooding but I wasn’t going to let Hydra ruin our last night in possibly the best hotel in the world.  
“Hey, we have to write up everything we found out and send it to my father. The bug files too, it’s too late to call him but I’ll call him at the airport tomorrow”.  
Bucky nodded but I could tell that he still wasn’t fully cheered up.  
“Bucky, since it’s our last night how about we stay up and watch a movie. Call for some late night dessert and cuddle”? I smiled at him hopefully. I was eager to do some cuddling and then a little more if he was up for it.  
“That sounds great even if we haven’t worked out in two days. You a little longer than that” he poked at my stomach playfully and I smacked his hand.  
“It’s not my fault I have a boyfriend who insists on being a highly competitive gym junkie” I retorted.  
“It’s not my fault you can’t keep up” he teased and this time I could see he was smiling, his blue eyes dancing with merriment.  
We fell asleep happy that night, I was sated from the lemon meringue pie and ice cream I’d ordered and still tingling from the kisses I’d shared with Bucky. If only I’d known that it couldn’t last. Bucky woke me up with his thrashing, and my heart sank the moment I saw his face contorted in his sleep. He’d been doing so well. It had felt like ages since his last nightmare. He was covered in cold sweat and he kept moaning the word ‘no’ over and over again. I’d never heard him sound so heartbroken that after a few seconds, I could hardly bear it and I began to shake him awake. His eyes flew open and he sat up, back ramrod straight, his breathing heavy and ragged.


	9. Chapter Nine

We sat in silence for a moment before Bucky spoke, he was avoiding my gaze.  
“How long was I like that”? He asked quietly.  
“I don’t know, not long. A minute or so”.  
Bucky fell silent again and I bit my lip, forcing myself to wait for him to tell me himself.  
As if Bucky could sense what I was going to say, he turned to face me, his eyes almost black in the moonlight.  
“Not tonight Clara, I don’t want to fight and I can’t talk about it. Not tonight”.  
I nodded my head. I didn’t want to fight either.  
“What do you need me to do”? I asked.  
A strange expression crossed his face and he hesitated before speaking.  
“I need you” he whispered, his hand reaching out to cup my face.  
I felt a love so all- consuming in that moment that I understood exactly what he meant and without hesitating, I nodded. If this was what he needed to forget then I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from being there for him.  
Bucky’s hand moved lower, his hand moving down my neck and further down, stopping over the buttons of my camisole. I felt his hand start to undo the buttons and I felt a flush of heat down my spine and suddenly I couldn’t take the tension anymore. In one movement I moved towards him, pulling his face down onto mine- our lips touched and my heart almost burst.  
Bucky kissed me, his metal hand cupping my jaw while his other hand continued undoing the buttons on my shirt until I was bare from the waist up. He pulled me into his arms while he placed kisses all over my body until I was feverish from desire. I didn’t know what to do so I just threaded my hands into his hair, the silky cool strands playing over my fingers while the rest of my body caught flame.  
My breath hitched in my throat when his hands moved lower, tracing and stroking and ending with his thumbs hooked on the edge of my pants. I felt butterflies when his hands pushed them down my hips and legs, the cool air causing my flesh to break out in sensitive goosebumps. I kicked off my pants and as Bucky rolled over me, his rock hard body pressing into me I felt butterflies turn into heat in my stomach. He leaned down to kiss my lips again and when I felt his warm hand moving slowly up my leg, I let out a muffled moan.  
I felt his lips move down, stopping over my chest as his hand moved higher and higher, agonizingly slow. When his lips stopped and I felt him apply more pressure, I sucked in a breath and I felt my back arch up off the bed involuntarily as his hand also hit home. I opened my eyes in exasperation as he moved back off me, leaving me bare and I opened my eyes. Bucky was kneeling between my legs and I watched him pull off his pants. I bit my lip suddenly nervous but Bucky just smiled at me reassuringly as he moved on top of me again.  
I can’t say it didn’t hurt because it did but it wasn’t a bad sort of pain. It was a good sort of pain and I couldn’t help moaning again as he moved inside me, our bodies totally connected. Like we weren’t just two people in love but that there was nothing else that mattered. We were on our own planet and everything else was just background noise, white noise. If only I’d known how I’d spend the next few days replaying that precious night in California over and over again in my head, how it was the thing that kept me strong in the face of such fear.  
We were awake most of the night, unable to get enough of each other, it was like we were in a fever dream. Every time I’d close my eyes, his lips on mine would open them again and we were sent back to square one.  
I don’t even know how or when we dozed off but I just woke up to the hotel phone ringing. Bucky just groaned and rolled over and I tried to ignore it too, snuggling closer into his warmth but it wasn’t meant to be. I just gave in and pulled on Bucky’s wrinkled dress shirt from the night before and reached for the phone, coughing to clear my voice.  
“Hello”.  
“Hello, is this Miss Theresa Grey”?  
“Yes it is”.  
“This is the concierge speaking, I’m just calling to inform you that a Mr. Fred Armitage has requested that you join him in his room for breakfast”.  
I felt a jolt go through me, was it possible that they had discovered us? I didn’t even know that they were staying the night in the hotel.  
“Did he happen to mention what it was about”?  
“Yes, he said to tell you that he was most impressed by your resume and regretted being unable to speak to you. He says he has heard great things from Billings”.  
I paused to think it through. The invitation seemed legitimate enough and isn’t this what we had been waiting for? I mean if they knew we were in the hotel they’d have stormed the room, broken down our door and hauled us away already. No, this could be the breakthrough we were waiting for.  
“Did he say what time”?  
“Yes he said by 10:30 am”.  
I looked at the clock. God! It was already ten am! We were lucky our flight was at two pm otherwise we would have been totally screwed! There was no way that we could have dragged our asses- (especially my strangely intimately achy) selves to the airport.  
I looked back at Bucky, he was now awake and was watching me sleepily, a crooked smile on his face. Oh how I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed again with him for the rest of the day!  
I couldn’t do that though. Missing the invitation would most certainly arouse suspicion and if they knew then it was better to go prepared.  
“Tell Mr. Armitage that I’ll be there. What room did you say”?  
“The Duckworth Suite takes up the whole of level twelve. I’ll make the call right now, Thank you Miss Gray”.  
“Thank you”.  
I hung up the phone and turned to Bucky.  
“Guess what just happened? Fred Armitage just called me to invite me to breakfast”!  
Bucky sat up and rubbed his eyes drowsily.  
“That’s great! When”?  
“Now, I have to go now”. I got up and padded towards the bathroom to get ready.  
I heard Bucky get up off the bed and follow me to the bathroom, pulling on his pyjama pants as he came.  
“Clara wait. What if it’s a trap”?  
I began to brush my teeth and turned on the shower.  
“I don’t think so, they’d be here already if it was”.  
I saw him in the reflection, standing with a concerned expression on his face.  
“Clara that may be true but you’re still walking into the wolf’s den. Shouldn’t you call your father at least? I don’t like this”.  
“There’s no time besides my father would also want me to go. I may not like it either but it’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for all this time”.  
I understood perfectly why he was wary, if this went wrong then we were both toast and we’d need to leave Los Angeles immediately. I didn’t want to go pretend that I wanted to join Hydra first thing in the morning after losing my virginity but hey everyone has their cross to bear. Last night had been a treasure trove of information and this could be even better. I had also proved to myself that I could handle myself in dangerous situations without cracking under pressure and I must admit I was eager to do so again. I liked being a spy, I liked being powerful and knowing things too. I always had and that’s why I knew I had to go.  
Bucky nodded his head.  
“I’m coming with you then”.  
I started unbuttoning the shirt in readiness for the shower.  
“Absolutely not! They’ll know that something’s not right! I have to go alone”.  
He shook his head stubbornly.  
“Then you’re not going. Call them back to cancel”.  
“I can’t do that. Refusing will make them even more suspicious”. I finished unbuttoning and threw off the shirt. I normally would have had qualms about this sort of thing but it was a luxury we couldn’t afford today. I didn’t have time to be embarrassed.  
I saw Bucky’s eyes sweep over me and I swear I saw a spark of lust as his eyes met my own before looking away.  
I stepped into the shower and Bucky stood outside the door, his elbows pressed on the shower door.  
“There has to be another way Clara”.  
“There isn’t another way. Look I promise I’ll tell you exactly where I’m going and if I get a weird feeling about anything, I’ll call you right away. I swear”. On this last word, I stopped showering and looked him in the eye.  
I saw Bucky bite his lip, a torn expression on his face.  
He sighed.  
“I don’t like this but you might be right. It might be the biggest win but the risks are very real. Do you really want to risk falling back into that animals hands after what he did to you”?  
He shook his head.  
“I won’t let that happen Clara”.  
“I won’t let you fall back into their hands Bucky. Sebastian wants me alive and well enough to ransom me to my father remember? Even if that does happen, you have to trust that I can handle myself”.  
I swallowed my fear at the thought of being under Sebastian’s mercy again. I couldn’t think about it right now, Bucky had to trust me. This was the right thing to do, I just knew it.  
“I do trust you. It’s him I don’t trust. How can you expect me to let you walk straight into a trap”?  
I got out of the shower and pressed my lips to his, savoring his kiss and letting his strength flow into me. I hugged him one last time, breathing him into me and remembering what it felt like to be in his arms before I left to do the unthinkable.  
“I will come back to you. Whether it’s today, tomorrow or not even then. Trust me”.  
I whispered before walking away, not wanting to lose my nerve.

I knocked on the door with five minutes to spare. Fred himself opened the door, a huge grin on his face.  
“Miss Gray, good morning”.  
I replied in kind with a smile and warm greeting as I stepped over the threshold. The suite was huge and possibly the most luxurious room I’d ever seen in my life. It was all high ceilings, marble floors and gold finishing’s. A huge table of gourmet looking breakfast was laid out on a huge table in front of a magnificent view.  
“Come join me for breakfast Miss Gray, I hope you brought an appetite”.  
I cleared my throat and nodded.  
“It all looks delicious”.  
Fred pulled out a chair for me directly across from him before sitting down himself.  
There was silence as I dished myself out some scrambled eggs, toast and poured orange juice.  
“Now Miss Gray, I’ve heard that you’re quite interested in joining Hydra. Can I ask why”?  
I smiled back into Fred’s grinning face.  
“Oh you know, I have a coworker who invited me to come last night. I was really inspired by what I saw yesterday, especially the talk of being part of something bigger than myself. I’m a biologist and I’m sick of always working alone- it would be nice to be a part of something more social, you know something that provides so many opportunities”.  
I gushed about how impressed I had been for a few minutes longer while Fred nodded along at intervals and I tried not to choke on the lies that were flooding my mouth. Fred would smile his genial smile encouraging me along but all the while I couldn’t help wondering how someone with such a wide smile’s eyes could remain so distant.  
“You know we’ve been looking at your file and it seems most impressive Theresa. You’re only what twenty five and you graduated top of your class ivy league and got a top position with one of the largest medical companies nationally. You’re a perfect candidate. We’re always looking for more people like you”. Fred reached out across the table to pat my hand and I kept smiling.  
I felt the knot in my stomach loosen and I tried to eat more of the breakfast I’d been too nervous to eat before.  
“It’s always wonderful to hear such high praise Mr. Armitage but you flatter me. All those things sure sound impressive when you say them like that but I try to keep humble”.  
“Oh no Mr. Armitage is far too formal. Please call me Fred”. He winked at me and once more I thought I saw a coldness in his eyes despite the wink. How could I have missed that last night? He’d seemed quite the jolly man. I suppose that probably came with working at Hydra.  
“Only if you insist”.  
“Oh I do. I’m fairly happy with your answers Miss Gray so now all that’s left is for me to extend an invite to a formal interview at the compound in Sheridan. Would that be agreeable to you? It’s just a formality”.  
I felt my stomach perform a few flip flops as I rejoiced. Everything was going absolutely perfectly, my father would be thrilled and we were one step closer to shutting down Hydra for good.  
I just plastered on another fake smile and pretended to drop my fork in excitement.  
“Oh really? I’d be thrilled Mr- I mean Fred”.  
“Excellent Miss Gray. I shall make the preparations then”.  
There was silence for a moment before he spoke again as he popped the last of his toast into his mouth.  
“ Mmmm delicious! Miss Gray, I just have one more question”.  
“Go right ahead”.  
“I would just like to ask if you know anything about some disturbing rumors that came to my attention just yesterday”.  
I felt a chill enter my body but I just cleared my throat.  
“Which rumors are those”?  
“Oh you know exactly what I’m talking about Miss Gray, let’s not play coy”. His eyes looked at me full on then, an edge to his voice.  
I swallowed nervously and tried to smile.  
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean”.  
“Really Miss Gray? You don’t know anything about a plot to sneak two CIA spies into the party yesterday? A plot that involved you, Kevin Conners and a certain Mr Ian Foglove”?


	10. Chapter Ten

I felt a weight in my stomach as I realized that I was doomed. This had been a trap after all.  
At least they didn’t know about Christian’s involvement which meant Bucky was safe. For now.  
I tried to keep talking as the walls closed around me.  
“It seems that you don’t need me to tell you anything as you seem to know more than you’re letting on”.  
He smiled then, as potent as a large reptile watching its prey.  
“Oh I know that you, Kevin and who knows who else have been leaking information to the CIA for months now. Last night a friend of ours who goes by the name Crossbones perhaps you know him? Well he gave us your names in exchange for our continued ignorance of his behavior in Washington”.  
“Ian wasn’t involved, he was simply a tool that I used to get an invite to the party. I told him no more than necessary”.  
I didn’t want innocents getting dragged into this mess any more than was necessary. Ian was a good guy and I’d put him in danger by getting close to him.  
Fred leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.  
“Oh we suspected as such but we needed to be sure. You just verified our hypothesis Miss Gray. Who else are you working with”?  
I remained silent and Fred leaned forward again, elbows on the table.  
“Oh come on Theresa, we’ll find out eventually. This will go easier for you if you just talk”.  
I remained stubbornly silent, my eyes surveying the room to find the best form of exit.  
Fred sighed and rubbed his face tiredly.  
“Fine then, we’ll have to do it the hard way”.  
I saw him reach for his belt and I was up and out of the chair in an instant, sprinting for the door. I heard Fred get up behind me as he grabbed my arm. Without hesitating, I turned and cut him a fast blow to his Adam’s apple, bringing up my knee to his groin as he coughed and spluttered. I reached for the door but it opened from the outside and I had to step back as it opened.  
I caught a glimpse of two huge men before the one in front grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled it, throwing me back into the room so I hit the floor bodily, the air knocked out of me.  
I heard a familiar voice tut tut as I tried to regain my breath. The man who’d thrown me was one of Sebastian’s bodyguard’s from the night before and he was accompanied by his equally large partner from the night before as well as Sebastian himself.  
“Oh Miss Gray, I thought we were doing so well” he purred down at me, removing his coat to show off his dark military gear. I suppressed a shudder, it was the same gear that he’d worn the night that he’d shot me.  
One of his men walked towards me and attempted to pull me off the ground by my hair but luckily my wig fell off and he looked at me puzzled as my curls sprung free. I took the time to poke him in the eye and rolled away from him and into a standing position. I saw the guard try to grab me again but I sidestepped and kicked him hard in the knee, sending him sprawling. There was no way that I could escape this situation unscathed, I’d never get to the door in time. The guard might have been done but the other one was unscathed like Sebastian and Fred was no longer on the ground even if he was wheezing.  
I saw Sebastian and his second bodyguard start towards me but I just twisted out of the way and sprinted into the bathroom and slammed the door in their faces, bracing against it and locking it. I pulled a cabinet in front of the door to buy me some time.  
I pulled out my phone and speed dialed Bucky.  
He answered on the first ring.  
“I don’t have much time, they know about me. You’re safe but I’d get out now before they find out the room number. You know where to find me. I love you”.  
I hung up and flushed the Sat phone down the toilet. I didn’t want them to get their hands on it and use it to find out anything more than they already knew. They wanted me and I was all they would get.   
I heard grunting as they tried to break down the door.  
“Clara, come out. I know it’s you”.  
Sebastian must have put two and two together. Oh well, there was no use crying over spilled milk. The only way forward was to act and think fast just like the spy I’d been trained to be.   
“Clara, come on. Take off the mask and come out. You’re just making this harder than it has to be”. His voice was silky and persuasive. I just blocked it and the rapidly cracking door out.  
I pulled off my mask and promptly flushed it down the toilet too. I opened a side pocket on my jacket and pulled out the tiny ceramic gun, silencer and tweezers. I used my t-shirt to wipe off any fingerprints before throwing all three objects as far out of the window as I could. There was no way I was letting them get their hands on such tech. I also flushed half the hairpins I had and put the rest into my hair and lastly, I tucked the eyeliner into my jeans and tucked the tiny metal disk into my left shoe- it was too small to be detected by pat down and I was sure my shoes wouldn’t go through any metal detectors.   
I then sat on the toilet waiting for them to open the door, bracing myself for the inevitable. God damn it, we’d been so preoccupied with Hydra, the FBI and even Black Panther, giving no thought to Crossbones in Washington. How could he have gotten wind of the dissention in Hydra? How could he have found out the names of our spies?   
The door gave one last groan and the cabinet screeched along the tiles as the door was opened. I stood up with my hands up and watched Sebastian wander over to me, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.  
“Well well well, it’s as if Christmas has come early! I came here expecting to root out a deceitful biologist but won the jackpot with you. Hello sweetheart, it’s been too long”.  
I tried to keep my face expressionless.  
“It’s a pleasure to see you too” I replied dryly.  
“Where’s your maniac boyfriend”? He looked around comically as if expecting him to pop up.  
I didn’t reply, not trusting my words not to betray me.  
“Oh it’s like that is it? We’ll find him soon, in fact, I have a team raiding your room as we speak”.  
I just raised my eyebrows. Hopefully Bucky had managed to get away before they’d turned up.  
“How did you find out my room number”?  
Sebastian pulled me towards him and pulled my arms up and away from my body.  
“Spread your legs” he commanded with a smirk on his face.  
I clenched my jaw and tried not to blush as Sebastian frisked me. His hands starting slow around my neck, and back. Lingering under my arms and over my breasts. He tried to catch my eye but I was determined not to look at him. His hands moved down my rib cage to my waist and he moved behind me as he progressed down my hips and legs, his hands surprisingly gently for the Hydra thug he was.   
“All done. God I’ve wanted to do that a long time” he winked at me.  
I kept my expression blank.  
“You still haven’t answered my question”.  
“Oh you know, people will always talk for the right price” he reached out to grab my left arm and I tried not to let my disdain show.  
“You gave us quite the shock before. When did you get so violent? I suppose it’s his influence, you’re quite the little warrior princess now”. I felt his hand move up my shoulder and his other hand stopped over my abdomen, feeling the flesh under my shirt.  
“Hmmm you’ve been working out. You even have a little six pack” he chuckled. He raised his hand to tug at a curl.  
“I liked you chubby but you’re much much sexier this way” I saw his blue eyes darken lustily as he looked at me. I had to look away to stop from curling my lip in disgust.  
He begun to pull me from the room and I struggled to keep up with his long stride as he tugged me back into the dining room. Fred was still sitting on a chair with a red face and the two guards were standing sentinel on either side of the door.  
“We’d better head out before she gets any ideas” Sebastian motioned to me with his chin and I saw Fred’s face turn a darker shade of red as he looked me up and down.  
“So this is the little bitch we’ve been chasing across the continental US”?  
I tried to bite my tongue but couldn’t help myself. It hadn’t been satisfying enough kneeing him in the groin.  
“The one and only” I smiled.  
“I still think we should send her back in a body bag to her father. See how she likes that” he smiled nastily at me and I just thought of all the bones Bucky would have broken in his face with a single punch.  
“Oh you’ll try but you won’t get very far. Not even to the door, like last time”.  
I heard Sebastian laugh and Fred started out of his chair.  
“Well said Clara, you’ll fit right in back home”.  
“Back where”? I asked. I already knew the answer but hoped he would confirm it.  
“You’ll have to wait and see. After the little stunt you just pulled, we can’t be too careful” he chucked me under the chin and one of the guards opened the door for us.  
He steered me out of the room and into the elevator, Fred and the two guards bringing up the rear.  
“Now Clara, I hate to be stern with you but if you make a scene in the lobby, it won’t end well for you. Just be a good girl and come quietly, okay”? Sebastian looked down at me expectantly and I nodded stiffly. There was no way I’d be able to escape anyway, the Jeep and Bucky were most certainly gone and who knew how far I could make it on foot with no money and no gear. No, the best plan was to just go along with what Sebastian said until I got a better opportunity.  
Sebastian’s hand slipped up my back and over my shoulder, pulling me close enough to smell his aftershave. He leaned down to whisper in my ear menacingly.  
“We’re just a couple having a good time. Smile” he kissed my hair lightly as he pulled away and I did as I was told, moving out towards the front of the hotel and obediently getting into the dark Mercedes van that pulled up, another heavily muscled and armed man acting as driver.  
I glanced out the window and saw that our Jeep was gone. Bucky must have gotten away and surely enough, a few minutes after we’d driven away, Sebastian received a call that verified my hopes.  
“The room was completely bare when they got up there Clara. Where is he”? He leaned forward to look me in the eye.  
“Gone somewhere far away where you can’t touch him” I replied breezily.  
Sebastian smiled without it reaching his eyes.  
“Is that what you think? Well we’ll find him eventually so don’t get your hopes up and when I do, I’ll kill him myself” he replied icily.  
I didn’t reply and just looked out the window.  
“You’re protecting him aren’t you? That’s why you ran for the bathroom instead of the front door. Is that what you were doing in the bathroom”?  
“Bucky can protect himself” I replied coolly, neither denying nor affirming his words.  
Sebastian scoffed as he sat back.  
“Wow, I must admit I’m not surprised. He’s not even here and you’re still defending him. He’s done a great job on you”.  
I didn’t answer again and he scoffed once more.  
“Well however you feel about him, he does love you. What lies did you feed him to make him run away”?  
I just stared at Sebastian with pity. He didn’t understand love and probably never would. Only he would think that a relationship based on lies and lack of trust could work. A relationship like ours.  
I just changed the topic, unwilling to discuss Bucky with him any more than necessary. It was enough that he was essentially kidnapping me. I decided to make the most of the time we’d have alone, without Fred at least to make snide comments.  
“What do you want with me”?  
“With you? What I’ve always wanted”.  
I raised my eyebrow.  
“What’s that”?  
“A chance. God you weren’t listening to anything I said over the phone”.  
“Like as in a chance, like giving our relationship another go”? I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice on the word ‘relationship’.  
“Exactly” he ignored my sarcasm.  
“You clearly didn’t listen to what I said on the phone either. Never in a million years”.  
“Why not”?  
“Why not? The last time I actually was around you for an extended period of time, you shot me remember? How can you expect me to just forget that”?  
“I told you I was sorry, besides, you jumped in front of that bullet yourself”.  
Oh my God. How did he even rationalize this stuff to himself? He really was a lunatic.  
“You were going to kill Bucky in front of me so you could kidnap me and force me to marry you. Now you want a chance”? I threw my hands up in frustration and then promptly crossed them over my chest.  
“Look I’m sorry. About all of that, I told you, I’m a changed man”.  
I raised my eyebrow.  
“How”?  
“Well for one I’ve learned that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I’ve decided that I’m not going to force you to marry me. That was always more my father’s idea anyway. I want you willing so if you’re not willing now, I’ll win you over”.  
“How is kidnapping me winning me over”?  
“It’s a necessary evil. I said I’m a changed man, I’m not stupid. There’s no way that you’d change your mind hanging around the wiener soldier”.  
I rolled my eyes. For how much of a supposed changed man he was, he still managed to be super immature.  
“So that’s your plan. To win me over”?  
He smiled brightly, his blue eyes alight with excitement.  
“Yes”.  
“Good luck with that” I scoffed.  
“Don’t be so sure, I have some great stuff up my sleeve. I’m quite good at what I do you know, at least most girls say so the morning after”. He winked salaciously at me and I just looked at him appalled.  
“You’re disgusting” I retorted.  
“Glad you think so. I hate to burst your bubble but you’d best get used to it”.  
I looked at him suddenly suspicious at his gloating tone.  
“What do you mean”?  
I saw his grin widen and there was a malicious gleam in his eye.   
“You’ll find out soon enough”.  
I suppressed a shiver at his words. Knowing Sebastian, I wasn’t going to like what he had planned at all. I had to admit it though, he was really a changed man. The old Sebastian would have told me everything, unable to keep himself from gloating. This and the phone calls had convinced me that he had become much more thoughtful, patient and cunning. He had been dangerous before but now I sensed that he was much more lethal. I’d need to be more careful if I wanted to stay ahead of this newly changed Sebastian.   
We drove through down town LA for maybe fifteen minutes more before we stopped and then drove into an underground car park and the car stopped.   
“I thought we were going to the airport”.  
“We are, now come on before I have to carry you”. Sebastian reached over and undid my seat belt before I could even form a reply, his hand on my upper arm once more.  
“You know it’s not like I’m going anywhere” I grumbled as we got out of the car.  
“After what I’ve been hearing and seeing I’m not taking any risks” and he pulled me even closer, my chest bumping into his.   
I just looked away from his smirking face before realizing that ours was the only car and Fred was nowhere to be seen.  
“Where’s Fred”? I asked.  
“He left a while ago. He still has some things to sort out in LA”.  
“With Malcom Evans”? I asked, watching his face carefully.  
He swiveled his head back to look at me, narrowing his eyes. I could see surprise in his eyes as he regarded me warily.  
“Maybe. I forgot it was you at the party last night. Not Theresa”.  
“Maybe” I replied.  
“What did you see”? He asked.  
“What do you think”? I fired back.  
He was silent for a moment, his eyes watching me with a mixture of exasperation and interest.  
“We’ll have to be more careful who we let into our functions next time, now that you CIA agents can change their faces so easily” he grabbed my chin with his hand. “Was that really Ian at the party”?  
I pulled my chin free.  
“I told Fred before, Ian doesn’t know anything. I was just told to go for him because he’s fond of Theresa and trust me, he loves Hydra too much to ever work for my father”. This was stretching the truth to the limit but I really couldn’t bear it if I got Ian into trouble.   
He nodded but his eyes didn’t leave mine.  
“You were with another man at the party. A weedy looking blonde kid actually, who was he”? I felt panic start to build in my stomach, beginning to creep up my chest. Since when had he gotten so perceptive? No he had always been perceptive, I’d just never noticed it until it was too late  
I stalled for time.  
“Christ Sebastian when did you get so observant? Besides there’s no way I could have known everyone at the party”. I replied airily.  
He tilted his head to the side.  
“Answer the question Clara, I saw you talking to him last night”.  
Shit. If he found out about Christian then he’d put two and two together. I really didn’t want to be protecting someone else, keeping the heat off Ian was hard enough already and it was great news that Christian had been undiscovered. We needed agents to keep us informed and we couldn’t afford to lose any more.  
“I don’t know who he was” I squinted my eyes as if I was trying to remember.   
“He was really strange, he kept making bizarre comments and honestly, I was glad to leave him at the end of the night. I think his name was Craig, no wait Cole- Charlie. I think his name was Charlie”. I chose a generic name that would be hard to find and one that I would remember if he asked again.  
Sebastian nodded his head and I couldn’t help biting the inside of my cheek. I wasn’t sure that he entirely believed me but at least it was enough for now.   
“What did you do with your mask? Surely you weren’t stupid enough to come to breakfast without anything, not even a gun? I don’t believe your father would allow it”.  
This time I decided to tell the truth and save the lies for stuff that mattered.  
“He wouldn’t exactly allow CIA tech to fall in your hands either. I got rid of everything in the bathroom, the mask I flushed”.  
He half smiled at that.  
“No I guess he wouldn’t. It’s a shame though, the mask was so realistic, and we could have used a prototype to make one of our own”.  
Exactly what my father had been trying to prevent.  
I didn’t reply at that but just smiled cryptically back at him.   
One of the bodyguard’s, the slightly shorter one with a mole on his chin who went by the name Steve received a phone call and we started to move again. I was pulled into an elevator and the other larger guard with a face like a weasel and piggish blue eyes who went by the name Bill pressed the number twenty.  
“Where are we”? I asked Sebastian.  
“We bought this building a few years ago. We rent it out for office space but it also serves a more important purpose. We’re going to the top floor to board a helicopter”.  
“A helicopter to the airport”? I asked.  
“Yes”.  
“Why not just drive? LAX is like twenty minutes away”.  
“We’re not going to LAX. It’s probably being watched by your father, and I don’t want us to be traceable. We’re going to Las Vegas and then getting on a private plane”.  
Of course my father was probably losing it by now, he would most definitely have someone watching LAX. Damn Sebastian, if we’d gone to LAX, there would have been a chance for me to escape and didn’t he know it. He was watching my face carefully and I looked away. It was as if he knew what I was thinking.  
So this was how Sebastian had been avoiding being seen, dropping off the radar entirely. He had found the holes in my father’s vision and now he was going to hide me with the same technique.  
I hadn’t been counting on going to Vegas, I’d never even been there and it would be stupid to escape with no money or resources whatsoever in a city I didn’t know. I would just have to bide my time, it was better this way. We’d get back to the base and I’d play along for a while, play the docile pet that Sebastian wanted me to be but secretly I’d be planning the collapse of not only the base, but Hydra itself and thanks to last night, I knew exactly where to start.  
Surely enough there was a helicopter waiting on the roof for us and we boarded in double time, taking off only a short while later. The view was spectacular, it made the view back at the Beverly Wiltshire look like a brick wall and even though I tried not to, my mind wandered back to Bucky.  
I wished desperately that he was with me, here to see the desert, and here to protect me from Sebastian. I was tired of this already, I just wanted to be back in his arms where I felt a little safer. I just wanted to be able to spend a little longer lost in each other like we had the night before, to have ignored the phone and kissed him one last time. Now God only knew how long it would be when I saw him again, when I got to see his blue eyes twinkle or hear him laugh.  
Thoughts of Bucky also brought on worse thoughts: my father would be going crazy by now. This had been his greatest fear and now he was being forced to live it and there was nothing I could do about it. He would think the worst and I would just have to accept knowing that he was thinking the worst until I could change things.  
It was about two hours before I saw Las Vegas, the city looked tiny and I could see the midday sun gleaming off the skyscrapers. The helicopter flew over the strip, the huge flamboyant hotels all practically lined up next to each other. The black glass of the cross shaped MGM grand and the geometric pyramid of the Luxor hotel right next to it, everything else was all white and gold. Cars moving sluggishly on the road and the green blobs that were trees. I didn’t even know there were trees on the strip!   
“You’ve never been to Las Vegas before”? I heard Sebastian ask from my right. I’d almost even forgotten that he was sitting right next to me or that Bill and Steven were still there, as silent as boulders.  
I shook my head.   
“No I’ve never been”.  
“I’ll bring you back here sometime, maybe on our honeymoon eh”? He winked at me and I couldn’t help feeling slightly queasy.   
“God don’t be gross. I’m sure you’ve been here a million times being a cashed up guy in his twenties and all”.  
He smirked.  
“Yeah you could say that. I’ve made many memories in Vegas, some that I want to forget and others that I would love to re-live if you know what I mean”. The look on his face spoke volumes of the types of memories that he wanted to re-live.  
“You’re a changed man now though”.  
“Yes I am” he replied, his face suddenly serious.   
The helicopter continued well past the strip and over the rest of the city until we were landing at McCarran airport. This time Sebastian didn’t grab my arm, trusting me not to run away even though the tarmac was completely secluded except for a small plane waiting several meters away. Sebastian received a phone call while Steve lumbered over to the plane in the distance. I heard Sebastian ask several questions but it didn’t sound like he was happy with the answers that the other person was giving because he hung up after two minutes, his blue eyes flashing with irritation.  
He stormed over to me and grabbed my arm again roughly.  
“Where is he”? He hissed.  
“Who”? I asked innocently, knowing exactly who he meant.  
“You know who I’m talking about”.  
“I told you, I have absolutely no idea. What happened”?  
“He was seen just outside LAX but he managed to get away. He killed two of my men and injured another one”.  
I felt triumph in my chest. Bucky was probably half way across the country by now.  
“I told you that you wouldn’t be able to catch him. Besides, I’m sure he had help from those same CIA agents we avoided by coming here” I replied cautiously.  
He clenched his jaw but nodded, his hand relaxing on my arm.  
“I will find him Clara so don’t think it’s over. When I find him Clara, I’ll do exactly what I promised I’d do six months ago and turn him into dust”.  
I felt a chill down my spine at his words, his voice had been so cold as he’d said the words and I became even more glad that Bucky was hours away, probably in another state by now. I knew that I couldn’t falter in my mission, there was absolutely no way that I was going to let Sebastian ruin one of the best things that had ever happened to me.   
“That won’t make me love you” I replied quietly.  
“You can never love me while he’s alive”.


	11. Chapter Eleven

We boarded the plane after that, Sebastian sitting on my right and his two large looming shadows sitting further away to give us some so called privacy. Sebastian sat quietly and I also just looked outside the window, wondering how this day could get any more messed up. When I’d become a spy, I hadn’t done it just so I could be with Bucky but because I knew that I couldn’t be anything else. Running halfway across the country and getting shot had put my life into perspective and now I finally fully understood the repercussions of my actions six months ago. It was like everything had been leading up to this moment, I couldn’t just wait around for things to fix themselves anymore, I was now responsible for this entire operation. Stopping Hydra once and for all would really be up to what I did with the next few days. If I couldn’t do it, then chances are, we’d be running for the rest of our lives.  
Once we reached the airport, Sebastian motioned to Steve and he pulled a hood over my head. I had to admit that I’d been expecting it but that didn’t make it any less humiliating. Thankfully we drove only for twenty minutes before Sebastian guided me out of the car by my elbow, we walked from the car to inside because I could see light coming through my hood and the air changed. We went down what felt like a flight of concrete stairs and into what seemed like a huge service elevator. When we came out, the ground turned to grass and I stumbled. I heard Sebastian chuckle under his breath and I became glad that I had a hood to hide my crimson face. We walked over gravel, then concrete and then got into another car. I was dismayed by this because I’d been hoping that Sebastian lived close to the entry of the base but alas it was not to be. I filed everything away for later use, even the distance the car travelled, over concrete, gravel and then concrete again. The car travelled for about three more minutes before the hood was yanked off my head and I could breathe fresh air again.   
“Rise n shine” Sebastian said sunnily with a huge smirk on his face.   
I just glared at him and suppressed the urge to strangle him. For now.  
“Where are we”? I asked breezily, I could see a huge concrete block with windows approaching in the car’s ( usual black truck) windows.  
I knew exactly where we were but I just wanted to see what he’d say.  
“We’re at the base, in southern Sheridan”.  
Great, he’d played right into my father’s hands.  
I nodded.  
“Is this where you live when you’re doing Hydra stuff”?  
“Yeah, it’s also where you’ll be living”.  
Shit. I looked around as Steve or Bill, probably Bill parked the car in a tiny two space car park. Sebastian opened the door and got out, his hand on my upper arm once more.  
Once I was out of the car, he leaned in the drivers’ side window to speak to Bill/ Steve and I took the time to look around properly. We looked like we were in the middle of nowhere, all I could see was a single concrete road and grass on the sides. There were a few trees but the huge two storey block towered over them all and behind it, I could just see more land and further back, the beginnings of a huge barbed wire fence.  
How big was this base? Bigger than I’d first thought, an operation would be nigh impossible   
“You’re dismissed for today, check in at head tower and then await my orders”.  
“Yes sir” I heard Steve and Bill bark back in unison.  
Sebastian leaned away from the car and beckoned for me to come closer, beginning to walk to the concrete building. The truck backed off into the road, turned and headed back the way we’d come and I hastened after Sebastian, trying to match his long strides.  
I envied Sebastian’s black coat as I rubbed my arms in my thin hoodie. It was a crisp evening and Wyoming was no LA or Las Vegas.  
Sebastian reached the metal door and began typing a long number into a small metal keypad next to the door.  
I watched but he just chuckled.  
“Don’t bother Clara, it changes every day”.  
The door opened into a small area which was also shut with an identical door, only smaller and this time there was a small screen instead of a keypad.  
He stood facing it and I watched a laser scan his eyes. The words ‘Identity confirmed’ flashed and the other door swung open.  
Jesus, it was no wonder my father had such trouble keeping tabs on him if he had such a hidey hole. I eyed a camera in the corner of the ceiling as I followed him through the next door. This time there was no other door, just a short set of concrete stairs which I climbed before I finally got to see where Sebastian had been holing up.  
“Welcome to Casa Carter” he spread his arms out dramatically as he sauntered forward.  
My mouth dropped open as I took it all in, it just looked like a New York style loft in the middle of an army base. The floors and walls were concrete and it was all open plan kitchen and living room. There was an expensive creamy dark leather couch, a huge flat screen television and a priceless glass coffee table with artfully arranged books over it. A blindingly white fur rug probably imported from Scandinavia sat underneath the couch and behind it, the kitchen began. It was open plan with a concrete top and state of the art stainless steel oven, stove and toasters and it was spotlessly clean. I ambled over to look at it, the sink was all metal with a cool faucet that I’d never seen before. To top it all off, the kitchen was flanked with a huge picture book window. I could see the whole base laid out like a map from here, it was amazing.  
“What do you think”? Sebastian asked quietly behind me.  
I was snapped out of my reverie as I turned to look at him.  
He had his arms behind his back and looked a little nervous.  
“It’s amazing, just like we’re in New York” I mumbled.   
“I had my father’s interior designer do it for me when I started spending more time here”.  
I nodded absently.  
“It took me by surprise, I wasn’t expecting this when you told me you lived on the base”.  
He smiled.  
“I thought you’d like it, I wanted you to like it since it’s now your new home”.  
I felt my gut clench at those words but I didn’t reply.  
He reached his hand out and beckoned to me.  
“Come on, the tour isn’t over”.  
Sebastian opened a door near the kitchen and I guess I should have seen it coming but I was distracted.  
The door opened to a huge bedroom with a huge king sized bed in dark wood and another huge bay window, there was a door leading to what I assumed was a bathroom.  
I walked in and stroked the bedside table, the lamp was especially nice and I started looking for where he got it from so I could buy it for Bucky when I got back.  
“What do you think”? He called from behind me.  
“Of your room? It’s nice but I don’t get why I need to see it”. I gave up the task for later and turned to face him in the doorway.  
“Oh it’s not just my room, it’s yours too”. He smirked at me once more, his eyes glittering maliciously as it dawned on me just how screwed I was.  
“You’re kidding right”? I asked hoping he’d laugh but deep down I’d known it all along. It was the only other door I’d seen in the apartment.  
“Nup, I’m deadly serious Clara” he walked forward still smiling triumphantly.  
“I have you exactly where I want you, why would I give that up? I want a chance to woo you and woo you I shall, properly” I could see desire in his eyes and I looked away.  
So that’s what he’d been so happy about in LA, about me having to get used to how disgusting he was! He’d planned this all along and I’d been too stupid to realize it until now. Even if I had, there was nothing I could have done. I’d just have to swallow my pride and share a bed with Sebastian until I could escape. If this was what I’d have to do, then I would do it and more to pull this off.  
Sebastian chuckled and smoothed a hand over my hair.  
“Don’t look so horrified Clara, I’m not a total monster. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want, your precious chastity is safe from me. Scout’s honor”.  
I bit my lip and looked away before he saw the truth in my face.  
Too late.  
“Oh my God Clara” he tilted his head to one side and looked at me.  
I smoothed my face into an innocent mask.  
“What”?  
“You aren’t so chaste anymore are you”? He smiled evilly.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”. I replied stiffly even though the game was up.  
He scoffed.  
“Don’t try that crap on me, its written all over your face, he finally did it. He popped your cherry”.  
I cringed at his gloating tone and felt my face burst into flames.  
“It’s none of your business” I replied through gritted teeth.  
Sebastian hooted with laughter at my mortified expression.  
“It was last night wasn’t it? Oh my God it was! How was it? Did you go all night? Did he seduce you or did you finally get sick of waiting like I knew you would and ride his co”- he wagged his fingers at me suggestively and crudely and I decided that I’d had enough.  
“Oh my God Sebastian stop”.  
He laughed even harder as I crossed my arms.  
“You should see your face, you look so embarrassed it’s adorable. Is he that kinky in bed? I didn’t think he was the type but I guess his arm must manage all kinds of tricks”. He made another crude gesture with his hands that made my humiliation even more complete.  
“Stop it” I hissed. “I’m not talking about this with you”.  
“Why not? I’m your fiancé and we need to talk about this kind of stuff. Wait, does your father know? He’s not gonna be happy since he’s an older guy and all”.  
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer”.  
“Relax I never said I was going to tell him. Your face can tell the story all on its own”.  
I grimaced and changed the subject before he started laughing again.  
“Is this the bathroom”?  
“Yeah it is” he brushed past me to open the door.  
The bathroom was all white, a huge glass shower with an even bigger state of the art bathtub. I walked in to stroke the copper faucets and felt my defeat.  
“There’s no lock on the bathroom door is there”? I asked quietly.  
“No, there isn’t”.  
“You really are a piece of work aren’t you Sebastian”? I sighed.  
“I’m just a man desperately trying to get his fiancé back”.  
I just scoffed. Like he even knew the meaning of loving someone enough to spend the rest of your life with them, no this was all just a game to him.  
“How long are you going to keep me here”? I asked tiredly.  
“You’re my guest C. Like I said over the phone: I just want a chance”.  
“For what? Us? There is no us and there never really was”.  
“Clara, I told you. I’m a different person now and I think that I’m someone you could love. I know that you once really did love me and I think I did too. I just want to show you that without” he paused and took my hand.  
“Outside interference” he finished, touching his lips to the back of my hand.  
I didn’t reply, I just thought if only he knew how much bringing me here would help me put an end to Hydra once and for all, then he’d see how well I did without outside interference. If all went to plan then he’d never have me at his mercy again.  
I woke up before Sebastian and assessed my surroundings. The clock on the bedside table read 7:00 am and there was weak light streaming through the window next to the bed. I pushed Sebastian’s arm off me gently and moved as far away as I could from his bare chest. I’d been unsuccessful in my attempt last night to get him to sleep in a t-shirt and I resented sleeping in a bed with a man who wasn’t my boyfriend. Who wouldn’t? Especially since the said man had shot me only six months before. I glanced back at him and saw that he still appeared to be sound asleep, his chest moving evenly and I breathed a sigh of relief. It meant that I still had time to look around without his supervision and I wasn’t going to waste it.   
My first call of action was to find somewhere to put my kit so that it wouldn’t be discovered and hopefully contact Bucky through my bugs so he wouldn’t worry more than he probably already was. I rolled off the bed slowly, moving as little as possible until I ended up on my knees at the side of the bed. I rooted through my discarded clothes till I found the remnants of my kit ( laser eyeliner, hairpins and finger print forger) I peeked up to make sure that he wasn’t awake before standing up and making my way to the bathroom.  
I’d made sure to keep the door open the night before so it didn’t squeak and I closed it behind me as quietly as possible before getting to work. Sebastian was probably trained to be a light sleeper and would be up any minute- I opened the cupboard over the sink and thought quickly. What was the last place he’d look for spy gear? I hit jackpot when I saw a box of maxi pads and stuffed the eyeliner, pins and forger in it. I wondered who it belonged to, which woman had Sebastian had over. Oh well, it would serve its purpose brilliantly. Sebastian may have been the leader of an international criminal organization but he was still a man and held a deep rooted fear of periods and all things related.  
I kept one pin and activated it, glancing at the closed door, praying it wouldn’t burst open that second before bringing the pin to my lips. I left a short message, telling Bucky where I was, how I’d gotten captured and how he should wait for my signal before rushing the base since I was beginning to suspect that it was more protected than we’d imagined. I deactivated the pin before dropping it into the drain and flushing the toilet. Sebastian flung open the door as I was pretending to wash my hands and I didn’t even look up.  
“Good morning” I forced a yawn, turned off the faucet and faced him.  
He narrowed his eyes, his eyes roving all over the bathroom and me. Good luck finding anything prick I thought, I stood there innocently in an old oversized t-shirt of his and no shoes. There was no way that I’d be making an escape anytime soon.  
“What, did you think I had escaped”? I asked sarcastically.  
He crossed his arms over his chest and looked back at me.  
“No, I thought you were trying to escape. As to whether you’d actually escaped, I was sure you hadn’t. It’s impossible”.  
“You don’t think I know that? Especially this early in the morning” I pushed past him and crawled back into the bed.  
He just leaned against the bathroom door, a smile playing at his lips and a twinkle in his eye. Good God, he was enjoying this.   
“You don’t fool me for one second Clara, I know you’re up to something, I just don’t know what it is yet. I will find out though”.  
I just lay in the bed, my back to Sebastian and yawned again.  
“I’m sure you will” I replied.  
He probably would but unfortunately for him it would be too late.  
He walked round to my side of the bed and looked down at me.  
“Get up Clara, we have a long day ahead of us”.  
“Are you serious? You were just asleep like two minutes ago”. I just closed my eyes and snuggled deeper under the covers.  
“Do you want to see the base or not”?  
I opened my eyes slowly, avoiding looking at his sculpted upper torso and his perfectly sleep tousled hair. Everything I’d loved about him before he’d proven himself a douche master.  
“I’d love to but not in your old t-shirt. It would send the wrong message”.  
“Put on your old clothes for today but I promise your clothes will arrive tomorrow. You caught me by surprise that’s all. I had clothes ordered for you in preparation for this day”.  
“Like that’s not creepy at all” I murmured, my eyes sliding shut once more.  
I heard him squat down and his voice was closer than before.  
“Don’t make me pull you out of bed and toss you into the shower” he threatened, a smile on his face. “As much as I’d like to” he added and I gave up and threw the covers off.  
“Fine, I’ll go shower”.  
“No more than ten minutes or I’ll take it as a cue that you want company in there”.  
“You’re gross” I called back.  
“Love you too sweetheart” he replied before I closed the door, wishing desperately for a lock. I showered and pulled on a towel in a record seven minutes, flinging the door open before he could make good on his promise.  
He was sitting on the side of the bed and stood up.  
“With three minutes to spare, well done” I felt his eyes rove all over my body, a hunger in his eyes and I looked away. What was it with me and towels?  
“All yours Sebastian, no need to worry that I’ll join you”.  
He brushed past me and ran a finger down my wet arm.  
“Yet”.  
I shivered and was only able to pull on my clothes when I heard him turn on the shower. The shower, had it only really been twenty four hours since I’d been arguing in the shower with Bucky? I couldn’t believe it, so much had happened that everything from before seemed almost too perfect, too sweet to be real. I couldn’t help wondering what he was doing now, if he was okay after his run in at the airport and if he’d seen my communication on his mirror yet. He would soon enough, probably after he beat himself senseless with another one of his crazy workouts.  
I couldn’t help smiling at his habitual over exercising, how was it possible that so little time could pass but you could still miss someone this much? Oh well, there was no use thinking of that now. If all went to plan then I would see him in no time, until then I should just be grateful that I’d been the one taken and not him. That was something I wouldn’t have survived for certain.  
I was sitting staring into space when Sebastian walked out of the bathroom clad only in his towel and I averted my eyes before he could catch me staring. I heard him chuckle as I got up off the bed and mumbled something about breakfast before leaving the room as quickly as possible.  
After breakfast, we left and found a car waiting outside in the carpark for us. Strangely enough, Sebastian’s two oversized muscle men (Bill and Steve) were missing. Instead there was just a silent driver and a cheery man I assumed to be our tour guide. He gave Sebastian a hearty salute and waved sunnily at me. He was garbed in all black military uniform with the Hydra sigil over his heart and on his armband and he was only a few years older than Sebastian and I.I couldn’t help thinking that he looked somehow vaguely familiar with his green eyes and sandy blonde crewcut, he was handsome but in a severe way.  
“Good morning Mr. Carter and Miss Smith, my names Jason and I’ll be your guide today”.  
I smiled.  
“Clara’s just fine Jason”.  
I don’t know what came over me. How could I act so chummy with a Hydra goon so soon after being kidnapped? I just somehow felt at home around Jason, it was like I knew him from somewhere.  
Jason glanced a smidge nervously at Sebastian but he wasn’t paying attention.  
“Okay then Clara”. There it went again, this time it was his southern twang that triggered something in my mind.  
“Make it quick Jason, I have a meeting at eleven” Sebastian interjected.  
“Sure” Jason turned to the driver and motioned that we were ready to go.  
The car started up and there were a few moments of silence, Sebastian was staring at something on his phone and appeared to be completely absorbed. That was just fine with me, I needed to figure out where I possibly knew Jason from.  
“So Jason what do you do here on the base”?  
“I’m mainly in the logistics of the running of the base on a day to day basis. My father works with Commander Carter here but he’s not based here. He travels most of the time”.  
“The base is so big, it must be lots of fun to work here”.  
Fun was pushing it but I was running on empty here, any information was better than nothing.  
“Yes it’s great, there’s never a dull day”.  
I glanced at Sebastian once again but he was still on his phone. I couldn’t help wishing Jason and I were alone, it would make for much better conversation.  
“Do you normally have your own car to get around? It must suck not being able to walk from one end of the base to the other”.  
“Yeah, I actually normally drive my own car. Once when I was young and foolish, I made the mistake of walking and only found out later that it was impossible”.  
I chuckled appreciatively at his story before pushing further.  
“Didn’t you know? I mean didn’t you have like a guide or a map or something”?  
I said the word map lightly but everything hinged on Jason’s answer. My next course of action after establishing communication was finding my way around the base so I could compose a plan of attack. I needed a map or else I’d be shooting in the dark.  
“It was my first time to the base, I was a teenager and didn’t take anything my father said seriously at the time. They do issue maps in our packs but you know how cocky young men can get”.  
They all had maps issued to them eh? I had to assume that Sebastian’s was still possibly lying around somewhere around the apartment forgotten, I just had to be alone long enough to look for it. I stored that piece of information away for later use and just smiled at Jason. I’d pushed enough for now and I decided to quit while I was ahead.  
We passed many concrete and brick buildings on our drive and I just spent the time looking. Once I even caught a glimpse of the boundary fence or actually more like fences. There were three of them, all topped with barbed wire and probably electrified. That made everything so much more complicated, how on earth was I going to pull this off? Especially with the many uniformed troops I saw walking about and completing drills in the crisp morning air. Oh well, at least I could tell Bucky on the bug and hopefully he and my father could plan for it. I was at a complete loss so far.  
It was as I was watching the fence disappear that Jason’s identity came back to me like a lightning bolt. He was Jason Foxglove! Ian Foxglove’s older brother and apparently wanted out of Hydra bad enough to be part of an insurgent group. I looked at Jason, no wonder no one suspected a thing. He was completely the last person I would suspect of deceit, he seemed so happy, like an open book. They obviously trusted him enough to have him conduct this supposed ‘tour’ around the facility. Here I’d been complaining about a fence when I’d just hit the absolute jackpot. Here was someone who was just as interested in ending Hydra as much as I was. If only I could get a few moments alone with him!  
The car finally stopped outside another two storey concrete building and Sebastian finally looked up from his phone.   
“That will be all Jason, have another car ready for us by 5”.  
Jason nodded.  
“Yes sir”.  
The driver then got out of the car and opened the door for Sebastian and we both got out of the car, the chilly morning air making me instantly regret leaving the warmth of the car.  
The car pulled away and I waved goodbye to Jason.  
“Come on Clara, I did say that I had a meeting at eleven”.  
Sebastian began to walk briskly towards the glass doors of the building and I hastily followed.  
“Where are we going exactly”? I asked.  
“My office” he replied shortly.  
He held open the door for me and I walked into a nicely heated white marble reception area. A young attractive receptionist looked up and flashed a 250 watt smile at Sebastian the minute he walked in.   
“Good morning Mr. Carter”.  
“Good morning Stacy. Has anyone called for me”?  
“Yes just the usual Fred with his check in and a few more that I noted down. Remember that the charity gala is tonight”.  
Sebastian grimaced and clicked his fingers.  
“That’s what I’d forgotten, it’s in the ballroom right”?  
“Yes Mr. Carter, your tux arrives later today”.  
“What about the clothes I had ordered from town”?  
“The women’s clothes”? She asked, glancing a little curiously at me.  
“Yes”.  
“I called them and they were happy to have them delivered by 2pm today”.  
“Good. Thank you Stacy”.  
“Oh and your coffee is on your desk”.  
He nodded and proceeded towards the elevator and I followed behind, trying to ignore the intensity of Stacy’s curious stare.  
When we got into the elevator, there were only two other floors and we went to the topmost one where a huge single office (Sebastian’s office) took up the entire storey. It was all glass and high tech with a huge Mac computer and another amazing view. All the luxuries crime could buy I thought darkly.  
Sebastian took off his coat, hung it up and sat behind the desk and motioned for me to sit across from him.  
“So this is where you spend your days”? I asked.  
“Yup, this is my office”.  
I cocked an eyebrow a little skeptically.  
“No security or your two hulking shadows following you around all day”?  
“Hulking shadows? You must mean Steve and Bill. No, there’s no need for security here. Very few people actually know where my l office is and besides, Stacy can lock the whole building from her desk as can I. I never invite anyone here actually, I wouldn’t be able to get any work done if people could just show up now could I”?  
I nodded. That did make sense.  
“What about your meeting? How do you keep your office a secret if you have meetings”?  
“I always hold them away from here. Usually in another office but sometimes at parties. Like the one tonight for instance”. He was once more occupied by his phone as he said this and I couldn’t help my mind from filing away this detail for later on, a distracted Sebastian was something that could one day come in handy.   
“Stacy mentioned it, where am I to be during this party”?  
He looked up at that, a grin slowly widening on his face.  
“At my side, you’ll be my date. At every event actually from now on”.  
“You love to gloat don’t you”? I asked not in the least surprised. I’d hoped that I’d be alone tonight and could get some more stuff done but it wasn’t to be.  
“Gloat? I’m just introducing my newly returned girlfriend to my peers. Someone else would be honored by such an invitation, especially seeing that I have a present for you”.  
“Great”. I tried not to let my sarcasm show but he picked up on it.  
“Clara Clara Clara, when will you start to appreciate the finer things in life? I’m guessing you’d rather be slumming it in some dumpster with your beloved Bucky boo”.  
“You’re such a snob”.  
“I just tell the painful truth”.  
The rest of the morning passed in a similar fashion, I just sat there while Sebastian worked at his desk. Occasionally looking up to make a joke or just conversation. I was bored senseless. That was when I truly felt the ache of being under the thumb of someone. I didn’t have a phone I could look at or IPod to listen to music on between Sebastian’s comments. When it was time to leave for his meeting I had to admit that I was relieved even if he was making me come with him. He didn’t trust me on my own in his office and until he could find something ‘safe’ for me to do, I was to be glued to his side.   
The meeting took place at eleven am sharp in a conference room near the front of the base and it was all with men I’d never met before but all were typical Hydra types like Sebastian’s father. None of them remarked on my presence in the room even though I sensed that they were curious. No doubt silence was a valuable part of being in Hydra. The topic up for discussion was completely useless to me too, they spoke of nothing but logistical boring stuff about money and more boring stuff about the running of the base. It was no wonder he was allowing me to come with him, this meeting was like watching paint dry.  
I took the time to let my mind wander outside the window to the front fence of the base, it wasn’t armored or particularly tough to get over. It just looked normal to any outsider, a normal research facility in the Midwest. I could even see the street where only a few days before Bucky and I had run surveillance of the building, wishing desperately that we could see the inside. Oh I had seen the inside of it well and truly by now and I was more than ready to go home.  
The meeting concluded at last after an unbearable hour and Sebastian and I were left alone in the conference room. He was on his phone and I was standing by the window, determined to escape that very minute when a slender, tall woman walked in and tapped Sebastian on the shoulder. Sebastian looked up and they began to talk in hushed tones. I felt myself stiffen as recognition flooded my body- she looked almost exactly the same as she had years before. Before she’d left, she still had the wavy blonde hair but it wasn’t long anymore, instead it was worn in a fashionable long bob and her eyes were still that startling lovely blue. She was older though, there were lines I didn’t remember on her face and a hardness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. It was hard to imagine that she’d be here, that she could walk in and completely ignore me, act like I didn’t exist I thought bitterly. She was selfish, she always had been and how could I expect anything else? I just clamped my jaw down and pretended that I hadn’t recognized her even though I could hardly breathe for wanting to ask her how she lived with herself. How my own mother could have left and never looked back just as she was doing now.


	12. Chapter Twelve

When she finished speaking to Sebastian, she looked up and our eyes met. She regarded me with recognition and I knew that she was aware of who I was. She nodded at me as if she would to a stranger and then swept out of the room in her expensive business suit like she hadn’t just ruined the wall that I’d built between her and me since she had left.   
I waited till we were eating an ordered lunch from outside the base when I felt strong enough to ask the question that had been burning at the back of my throat since the meeting.  
“That woman, she didn’t introduce herself”.  
Sebastian looked up from his food.  
“Oh you mean Anna? She usually doesn’t distract herself long enough from work to even socialize. She’s a workaholic, she probably didn’t notice you that’s all”.  
I tried to tamp down on my urge to ask more but in the end my damnable curious nature won out.  
“I thought Hydra had a no women policy usually. Its just strange to see a woman who’s not a secretary that’s all” I tried to be as casual as possible but I knew that I was just digging for information on my mother.  
“Oh yeah, the oldies used to be against it but even they have to agree that Anna’s been nothing but an asset since we got her, she normally works in Intel. In fact she’s the one who actually found the car you dumped at the airport in Chicago”.  
“Oh really”? I sweetened my voice to remove the edge. Great, my own mother had worked on the team that had sent Bucky and I into hiding for our lives and eventually helped have me kidnapped and brought back here. This just got more wonderful by the minute. I thought I’d hated her before but now I wasn’t even sure I could think about her without wanting to drive a knife through her cold pretty face.  
“In fact, I’m glad that you’re showing so much interest in Anna”.  
My eyes shot up at those words but Sebastian just looked as he had before and I breathed out relieved. There was no way he knew that she was more than a perfect stranger to me and I was perfectly content to keep it that way. There was no way I was going to give him anything else to use against me. It was lucky that we’d never looked anything alike.  
“Oh yeah? Why”?  
“I think she’d be a great role model for you. You know when we get married, I’d love for you to do what Anna does for me, you know. We could be a team”.  
“A team”? I repeated dully.  
He reached out to cover my hand with his.  
“Yes a team, I’ve heard that you’re quite the little spy and I think that you’d be a perfect asset to Hydra. Don’t give me an answer yet but I just want you to think about it. Our future”.  
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak lest my disgust make itself known.  
“You know, I think from now on I’ll have you shadow Anna. So you can learn the ropes so to speak and see if you like it. What do you think”?  
As much as spending more time with possibly the most evil person (aside from Sebastian) in my life made me feel queasy, I had to admit that this sounded like quite the opportunity to gather more information for both my escape and the end of this base itself.  
“That sounds great but I thought you didn’t trust me enough out of your sight”.  
He raised an eyebrow quizzically at me but nodded his head.  
“I’m surprised that you’d bring it up yourself but I did think this through. I’ll have Jason watch you, you seemed to get along well enough in the car”.  
I tried not to let my excitement show at the prospect of being alone with Jason after I’d just been deploring my situation that very morning.  
I nodded but I did it reluctantly to show my faked disappointment.  
“Oh don’t give me that look. Anna has her own muscle so I’m sending Jason with you so you won’t get lonely. I’ll have Stacey call Anna’s secretary to let her know”.  
I knew that as much as he’d supposedly thought this through, he hadn’t actually thought this far ahead. Sure he’d planned to capture me and bring me back to the base so he could woo me and all but he had underestimated how busy he’d become since basically becoming the CEO of Hydra. He was always on his phone or at a meeting or at his computer. There was no way that he could afford to babysit me all day and that was just fine by me. I could use this to my advantage if I played my cards right.  
So it was settled, the next day I was to be packed off to Anna, Anna Smith as I’d once known her and I would make preparations to get the hell out of here. I would get a map and get Jason to tell me everything he knew about the insurgent faction. Bucky hang in there, I thought, I was going to get back to him sooner than he knew.  
I smiled through the party like I was enjoying it, batting my lashes and dutifully smiling up at Sebastian like he was the one I was in love with. I’d put on the black velvet gown and even thanked him for the heavy diamond necklace that made me feel slightly sick, it was all blood money. It was a gift he’d said, his fingers lingering on the scar on my shoulder where his bullet had landed only months before, his eyes intense as he looked at me.  
“You know that I never meant to hurt you Clara right? It was all just an accident. You can forgive me, just like I forgave you for my father can’t you”?  
I was taken aback, I hadn’t pulled the trigger that had ended his father’s life but I’d nodded anyway. If this was going to work, then he needed to trust me. I had to admit that in that moment, the desperation in his voice made me feel almost sorry for him. Losing his father must have been harder than he let show, and maybe that’s why he felt he had to make me love him. He needed to feel something good, something that could make him forget that his father was truly gone and never coming back. I couldn’t imagine losing my father like that and as much as I hated Sebastian, I knew that he’d loved his father.

 

The next day proved to be successful in only one way. I’d managed to smuggle a map back to my stash in the bedroom, I’d gotten it from Anna’s office when Jason had been distracted and I was over the moon about it. The other two aspects of my plan however had floundered miserably.  
Jason had denied any knowledge about any such group and had threatened to report me to Sebastian for even asking in the first place. I’d seen a flicker of hesitation when I’d mentioned his brother but he’d quenched it like water on a flame. He became distant after that, speaking to me only when strictly necessary and avoiding my gaze.   
My mother had proven to be an even more insurmountable problem, she was hardly around! She set me and Jason boring mundane tasks and left for most of the day afterwards. I hadn’t been able to get her alone at all on that day and the three days that followed. She even avoided direct eye contact with me, it was like she was afraid of what I’d do. Afraid that I’d ruin the precious life she’d built for herself at Hydra but unfortunately even I wasn’t that evil. No, I just pretended that we were complete strangers, we were practically that anyway.   
The weekend dawned sunnily and I woke up to an empty bed and the smell of breakfast wafting in from the kitchen. I groaned and my eyes slid closed, why couldn’t I be back in New York with Bucky the one making breakfast? I felt an ache in my chest and my eyes suddenly felt damp, how had this happened? I missed him so much and every day that I woke up on the base, I felt further and further away from him. Why couldn’t we just be like a normal couple, why couldn’t we just stay in one place without being afraid of being shot at or murdered in some other heinous way?   
“Aren’t you coming to join me”?   
I opened my eyes and saw Sebastian standing shirtless in the morning light, like an Adonis statue left casually in a bedroom doorway.   
I sighed and gave up, rolling out of bed.  
“Yeah I guess I am”.   
I brushed my teeth and checked on my stash (which was secure) and I padded out into the living room.   
“What’s for breakfast”?   
“Two omelets prepared by yours truly”.  
I raised my eyebrow a little skeptically as he brought the plates over, it smelled wonderful and I’d never taken him for a chef.  
“Don’t look so shocked! I told you I was great at making breakfast the day after” he winked salaciously as he bit into his breakfast.  
“You’re disgusting” I groaned.  
He dog woofed dramatically at me and I just rolled my eyes. The omelets were just as delicious as they smelled and I wolfed down mine in only a few minutes, I hadn’t realized how hungry I was.  
“So what are we gonna do today”? Sebastian asked after we’d loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.  
“I don’t know, aren’t you busy with Hydra stuff”?  
“I don’t work on the weekends Clara, you’re mistaking me for someone who’s all work and no play! Like your crazy boyfriend”.  
“Must you always disparage Bucky like that? You’re just jealous, we had plenty of fun”.  
“Oh yeah? Like what? Tell me all about the fun you had, especially on the night when he popped your cherry”.  
His eyes were glinting mischievously and this time I wasn’t going to let him get away with that one.  
“You really want to know”? I bit my lip and batted my eyelashes coquettishly up at him.  
I saw his face slacken a little in surprise and he also bit his lip, desire blooming in his eyes.  
He nodded his head and I stepped a little closer to him.  
I brought my voice down to a whisper.  
“I’m going to shower” and before he could react, I turned on my heel and ran into the bathroom.   
I couldn’t help laughing to myself at Sebastian’s dumbstruck face as he watched me run away, it totally took him by surprise and revenge was sweet.

The rest of the weekend passed surprisingly pleasantly, we just lay around all day on the couch watching movies and bad reality television. Sebastian and I passed into a truce, I couldn’t believe how easy being around him could be at times. It made me think about how much I had wished our relationship to be real when we’d actually been together. Sebastian was now turning out to be a man that I could have loved once upon a time, he was charismatic, charming and could be surprisingly sensitive. Bucky really was right, part of me was still in love with Sebastian and that was something that I would struggle to deal with for as long as I was stuck here. I would have to toe the line between making him trust me without leading him on romantically otherwise this situation could turn even more deadly than it already was.  
The week started out like it had, ordinary and a complete wasted dead end until Tuesday when things began to happen all at once. I’d decided to leave Jason alone for the day since my pestering hadn’t worked on Monday when my mother decided that she was going to call me in for an impromptu private meeting. Her secretary just said that Anna had requested that we talk about my so called ‘future at Hydra’ and that I was to join her after lunch. While I was happy that a meeting with her would add a much provided relief from useless paperwork, I had to admit that I had butterflies in my stomach at the thought of being alone with my mother. Why had she finally stopped ignoring me? Had I done something wrong?  
I knocked on the door nervously and my mother opened it, a strange expression on her face.  
“Clara, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about rising in the ranks. Commander Carter thinks that you’ll be an excellent addition”.  
She said all of this loudly and I got the feeling that it was more for the benefit of Jason and her secretary.  
I smiled.  
“I’m glad to hear that”.  
“Come on in” she gestured into her office and she closed the door behind me, the lock clicking so that we wouldn’t be disturbed. I had to admit this had me curious, why didn’t she want to be disturbed?  
We sat down at the desk, silence falling as we regarded one another wearily.  
I broke first.  
“What do you want mom”?  
“You haven’t changed a bit. Still vitriolic as ever”.  
“What do you expect? Roses and chocolates for my wayward mother from hell”.  
Her cool blue eyes regarded me and I felt more resentment well up.  
“It wasn’t enough that you had to leave, you had to work for the organization that’s been trying to kidnap me for the last six months and kill my boyfriend. Sebastian shot me mom! He shot me”! I couldn’t help the rise in my voice and my mother looked away.  
“It’s not like this has been easy for me either Clara. You think I wanted you hurt? You’re acting like a child Clara, lashing out without the full picture”.  
I hated how calm she was, how distantly she could profess that she cared about me.  
“Oh yeah. What’s the full picture? Explain to me how I’m supposed to feel sorry for you when I’m the one being held against my will”.  
“I don’t expect for you to feel sorry for me Clara, I expect you to understand”.  
“Understand? I think I understand quite enough thank you very much”.  
My mother sighed and pushed stray the hair out of her eyes.  
“I should have known that you’d be like this. So much like your father, so angry, so hateful and passionate. Look I get it, you hate me and I don’t blame you. I ran out on you, I work for Hydra, I’m the worst mother in the world” at those words her voice broke and I saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. I couldn’t help the stirring in my heart even though I forced my voice to remain cold.  
“I do hate you, and there’s nothing you can say or do to change that. It’s not so much that you ran off or joined Hydra, the thing that really pissed me off was that you completely acted like I was a complete stranger. Your only child”.  
“What did you expect me to do? If I’d said who I was my cover would have been blown and you’d be in even more danger than you are now! Can’t you see that I’m trying to protect you”? I started to shake my head but she stopped me with a raised hand.  
“No Clara, don’t pretend that you couldn’t have blown my cover days ago! Why haven’t you? Huh? If I’m this villain that you think I am, why would you protect me”?  
I opened my mouth to respond but then shut it. God damn it she was right! Why hadn’t I been able to just tell Sebastian the truth? Was it truly because I sensed that she was on my side?  
My mother took my silence to further convince me.  
“I know you’re a brilliant agent. I’ve been looking into you and I know that in just a few months you have caused more trouble for Hydra than you could ever know. Your father never would have let you join if you were anything less than perfect, the CIA is his life. More than anything except for you”.  
I heard her voice shake and I felt my resolve begin to crumble. I decided that for now, it was worth hearing her out.  
I sighed and felt my body sag into my chair as I let the tension leave my body.  
“You know flattery gets you anywhere. I guess I’ll hear you out but that doesn’t mean that I’ll believe you”.  
Even before I’d finished my sentence, I saw my mother sit up a little straighter in her chair.  
“Oh Clara, I swear you won’t regret it” I heard relief in her voice and couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt at being so tough on her.  
“So I’m guessing you’re a spy here. Who for”?  
“The British. I was recruited soon after I”- she paused at that and cleared her throat.  
“Soon after you left” I prompted.  
“Yes. They were eager to get someone in and they thought I would be perfect. I had worked briefly for them in college actually, I gave it up when I graduated and met your father”  
“How did they not find out that you were married to Dad”?  
“They erased my past, gave me a new identity that checked out. Anna Weber, an analyst from MI6 with a great grand- father who had been a Hydra supporter in the early days. They’re big on pedigree here you know”.  
“I gathered that” I replied dryly.  
For a moment there we shared a smile at the joke, forgetting the tension in the air.  
“Well they supplied me with passports, families, school records as well as a substantial donation that got me in the door”. Oh well that would have helped almost as much as the Hydra grandfather since they always seemed to be so short on cash if the fundraiser in LA had been any indication.  
“I had to work here for years, slowly gaining their trust until I worked my way up to this level. I have their trust now and it’s just a matter of time before we bring them down from the inside. Which brings me to why you’re here”.  
I immediately saw where this was going.  
“You think I’m going to interfere in your operation don’t you”?  
She didn’t miss a beat.  
“I’m afraid you might, even unknowingly and I can’t allow that to happen”.  
“So you want me to sit and wait patiently for you to unravel Hydra while I enjoy my vile ex-boyfriend’s company”?  
“I wouldn’t put it so callously but yes”.  
“Why are you so sure that I’m going to ruin your operation”?  
“You see, you’ve scared poor Jason senseless and he doesn’t know what to do when you start mouthing off dangerous names like Calypso and mentioning his brother”.  
“Wait. Jason reports to you? You’re a part of the insurgent faction”? This just got better and better.  
“Yes I am and you should thank your lucky stars that Jason is loyal and didn’t tell your vile ex-boyfriend. Clara really of all the boyfriends”-  
I cut her off at that.  
“As if you can talk, maybe I would have had better taste if my mother could have been there to warn me against potential psychopaths” I snapped.  
She rolled her eyes but ignored the jab.  
“Anyway, back off Clara. I know you want out of here but I’ve been working on this too long to let it go to hell now”.  
“Me too, Bucky and I have been working this for months. We’ve done all the leg work now it’s just a matter of time. Dad’s waiting for word from me any day and it’ll be a go. I think you need me more than you’re letting on”.  
She raised her brows, a frustratingly similar look that I had when I was curious and I went on.  
“I’ve been communicating with the CIA, I have bugs that enable me to send messages but I just haven’t been able to get replies obviously. I have a map but I’m not alone enough to do any damage or make a real difference. No, my best bet is to get in contact with the insurgent group and co-ordinate, then my mission would be a go. If I could somehow talk to Dad then we could organize an attack, you’d have more man power and get to use Hydra’s number one weapon against them: the Winter Soldier”.  
She raised her eyebrow but I could tell that she was a little impressed.  
“You’ve thought this all through Clara, you really are an agent through and through” she crossed her arms, a flicker of a smile in her eyes.  
I didn’t budge, if I could get this to work then it would be the key to me getting out of here.  
“Do we have a deal”?  
“I don’t know” she leaned forward across the table.  
“Are you really dating the Winter Soldier”?  
“Mom really”?  
“Oh okay fine we have a deal. You can use the phone in here to call Mar- your father and I’ll get you to an insurgent meeting but it won’t be easy. There’s one tonight and luckily enough, Sebastian will be having a meeting tonight that he can’t have you at so he’ll leave you with a guard. I’ll organize one that will look the other way and you’ll be free for the meeting. I’ll have a car waiting for you with blacked out windows and Jason will be driving. Knock three times and don’t be late”.  
“I won’t”.  
She nodded absently.  
“Clara, it’s imperative that you’re discreet with this because Sebastian finding out could mean all of our lives”.  
I nodded nervously, I understood that this could all go wrong and if it did there would be no return.  
I got up to leave but had a thought.  
“What’s the meeting tonight about? The one he can’t take me to”?  
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s about your boyfriend and Captain America, they’ve been spotted together”.  
“Together” I echoed, my memory going back to that day in Billings when I’d written that desperate letter.  
It really had reached him and Bucky was safe! I felt a slight tug of guilt and trepidation, so Bucky probably knew I’d gone behind his back and contacted him. What if he was angry? Did he hate me for inserting myself into a part of his life that he didn’t want me in? Well that was a question for another day, until then, I had a meeting worry about. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as the car pulled up to a building on the other side of the base, it meant that at least one part of tonight had gone to plan. I had been sure that Sebastian would know that something was wrong but he’d been as talkative as usual so I knew for sure that he was none the wiser. I’d used my finger print forger and the guard had bypassed the eye scan to get out of the apartment, memorizing the way the bypass had been done for future use. I turned to Jason who gave me a nervous smile- I was still slightly peeved at him for telling on me, even if it was only to An- my mother.   
“Are you sure you couldn’t have made an exception”? I asked.  
He shook his head seriously.  
“I was sworn to secrecy, like I said before, I don’t know what Ian was thinking spilling the beans to you. He put all of us in danger”.  
I sensed a hint of irritation at his brother and I quickly disputed it.  
“Oh don’t be mad at Ian, I tricked him into telling and he really felt guilty about it”.  
I hadn’t exactly told Jason that I’d been posing as Ian’s coworker/ person he also happened to have a major crush on when he’d told me about the insurgents.  
“What can you tell me about the meeting? Will Calypso be there”?  
“Shhh” Jason looked around even though we were alone in the carpark. It was crazy to think that there would be a meeting here in a few minutes, the whole place looked deserted and there wasn’t even light coming from the building.  
“Yes she will be there tonight but keep your voice down. We can’t be too careful”.  
When we reached the interior of the deserted squat brick building that would serve as a meeting place, Jason told me to wait while he disappeared down a dark corridor. I couldn’t see anything but I could hear quiet murmuring in the next room, there was definitely a meeting going on here. I just hoped that I could trust my mother and that this wasn’t a huge mistake. Perhaps I should have just escaped instead of pinning all my hopes on this- I was as close as I’d ever been to the front gate of the base and Sebastian was nowhere in sight. Sure it would blow my mother’s plan to pieces but she’d never reached out to help me until now, could I really trust her?  
My thoughts were cut short as Jason emerged from the shadows.  
“They’re ready for you Clara”.  
I stepped forward but Jason stopped me.  
“One condition, you have to agree to be patted down and declare any weapons or bugs you have now”.  
“Really”?  
He nodded gravely, eyes so like Ian’s glinting in the low light.  
“Fine”.  
I put my arms out while Jason patted me down quickly but efficiently.  
He held his hand out for any bugs and when I told him I didn’t have anything, he seemed skeptical.  
“Hey, you can trust me. I’m pretty sure if Sebastian finds out that I’m here, I have just as much to lose as anyone in there”.  
He nodded.  
“I guess so”.  
Jason started down the corridor and I followed behind him, he stopped at the third door, knocked three times before we were let in.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The room appeared to be an old cafeteria and there was a circle of about twelve people standing in a circle around my mother. They had been talking but the second I entered, all voices hushed as Jason closed the door behind us.  
My mother broke the silence.  
“Welcome Clara, we’re all glad to see that you made it here”.  
“Thanks for the invitation” I replied nervously. Everyone was staring at me and I felt a blush start to crawl up chest and to my face. I wasn’t used to being the center of such attention, to have so many people I didn’t know look at me like they already knew me.  
A gruff man grunted at me before speaking up.  
“Enough with the chit chat, you said you can help, speak up”.  
I glanced at my mother for confirmation and she nodded curtly.  
I cleared my throat nervously.  
“Well I’m Clara, I’m sure you all know who I am and I know that you’re all undertaking an operation to take this base and potentially finish Hydra for good”.  
Another younger army type interrupted me.  
“We know that but what can you do for us”?  
This time, the only other woman in the room spoke up.  
“I’m not so sold on you. I mean I know you’re a supposed agent in the CIA and all but I’m having a hard time believing that you’ll bring us nothing but trouble”.  
The young army type guy spoke again.  
“How can we trust you”?  
The gruff man nodded his head.  
“They have a point, I’m not sure that this is the right step”.  
My mother silenced them all with a look that was so piercing that even I saw it from where I was standing.  
“You all agreed to listen to what she has to say but so far you’ve done nothing but the opposite. I trust her and unless you’re challenging my authority as leader then I decide what’s best”.  
There was silence and I continued. Clearly there was no question to the identity of the all-powerful Calypso.  
“Look I know you don’t know me and don’t trust me. To be honest, I don’t know you either but the one thing I do trust in is our ability to help each other. I’ve been working for over the last six months towards bringing down this base and we’ve never been so close to our goal”.  
I looked at each face daring them to dispute my words. None of them did, so I continued.  
“You guys have been working too but you need help. You’re a very small force and are at a dead end without resources. I need help too, I have the resources you need but they’re all outside the base. If I can get in contact with those resources and if you can help me logistically on the ground to get the CIA into the base, then we’ve solved one another’s’ problems”.  
There was silence as my words sunk in.  
This time Jason spoke up.  
“She’s right, there’s no way we can do this without each other. We’re out of time and ideas, Clara is our best option”.  
I felt a rush of warmth at Jason’s words, it was nice to have someone on my side.  
This time my mother spoke up, her face was unreadable.  
“How much support are we talking about? This is a base and there could be serious problems if there isn’t enough support on the ground”.  
“The CIA has a task force but I think numbers would cause more problems than help. I think that our best option is stealth and surprise”.  
The gruff man grunted again and the young woman spoke again, sizing me up.  
“Stealth, we already have that on our side. What do we need the CIA for”?  
“The CIA has weapons in case they do manage an attack but if all goes to plan then it shouldn’t be needed, plus they can help launch an attack on-”.  
“Two fronts” my mother finished for me.  
“We’ll need a distraction for that to work” gruff man put in.  
“We could co- ordinate the attack with a distraction but it still won’t buy us enough time. We’ll need to make sure that the bases defenses are down”.  
“And that all the higher ups don’t cause any trouble” piped in young woman.  
“How soon can we launch the attack”? I asked. I was eager to get out of here as soon as possible and I was still afraid that any day now Sebastian would find out something he wasn’t supposed to. A secret this big couldn’t be kept for that long.  
“The sooner the better” a stranger put in.  
“Not necessarily. This needs precision”.  
I shook my head at Jason.  
“I get what you mean about precision and all but how long do you think until the higher ups get wind that something’s up? From what I’ve heard, you guys have a reputation and there’s only so long that Sebastian will tolerate you. Trust me I’ve heard him”.  
Sebastian was like a fanatic when he spoke about the insurgents, he wanted to stamp them all out and would stop at nothing from rooting them all out. I’d overheard him on the phone to Fred a few days before and it hadn’t been pretty.  
My mother nodded her head in agreement.  
“I’ve heard him too and I think we should strike as soon as possible. The longer we keep this a secret, the greater the chance of things going wrong”.  
Another stranger spoke up.  
“How about this Friday? There’s a major party with all the officials. We could trap them all together”.  
“No party days, security is too high for it to work” my mother replied sharply.  
“Meetings too so Saturday’s out” Jason added.  
I thought for a moment before it came to me.  
“M- Anna, do you know for certain that all the important people will come to that party on Friday”?  
My mother had insisted that we keep our relationship a secret, there was no need for anyone to know and it would just cause more trouble than it was worth. I had agreed because as glad as I was to have my mother’s help, I wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about our relationship yet.  
“Yes, there’s even a delegate from Germany and Sokovia. They’re all staying on base for the meeting the next day”.  
“Do you have anything to do with sleep allocations”?  
“No but all the major commanders stay close to the end of the base, near where Commander Carter’s is”.  
“Three am on Saturday morning will be the perfect time then, the distraction can go off near the commander’s barracks while the CIA break in from the front”.  
The gruff man actually looked impressed and nodded his head.  
“They won’t realize until it’s too late. Genius”.  
“They won’t have time to reach the weapons since they’re on this side of the base either. Speaking of which, what should we do with them”? Jason asked.  
“The CIA will seize them on their way and you guys will attack from the other side, trapping them in the middle where everyone will meet”.  
“Perfect” my mother added.  
The army type just had to open his mouth once more.  
“It’s a great plan we can all agree but why should we trust you? Aren’t you Commander Carter’s little fiancé? If anything goes wrong, you can just deny everything while we take the fall for it, can’t you”? He crossed his arms over his chest and I felt anger flare up at his description of me.  
My mother opened her mouth but I cut her off.  
“You may think that I’m his little love or whatever but make no mistake. I HATE Sebastian Carter more than anyone else on this earth and if given the chance, I would end him myself” I replied coldly, my face looking everyone in the eye as I pulled back the shoulder on my top to reveal the bullet scar on my shoulder.  
“He shot me remember? Hydra is a disease and needs to be ended before it can spread and ruin anymore lives. Sebastian feeds on pain and blood- he’s just as sick as his father was before him. As to you wondering if I’ll run back to him, well I don’t plan on things going wrong. There’s no going back for me, this mission is now or never. The be all, end all and you can trust that I don’t intend on failing”.  
Another silence filled the room and I saw everyone look at me with a sort of admiration in their eyes. I had passed the test: I’d just won my golden ticket out of here. All I had to do was to survive the next few days and I would be back in New York before I knew it.

I lay in bed early the next morning, warmth blossoming in my chest at the prospect of going home. As I looked at Sebastian’s sleeping profile, it felt good to have some control over my life again and he wouldn’t even see it coming. I would be calling my father from my mother’s office tomorrow to begin the talks and my mother would take care of the rest. Sebastian rolled over, his features stirring and I knew that he was awake.  
“How long have you been awake”? I asked poking him hard in the ribs.  
One of his azure eyes slid open and he smiled wickedly at me.  
“Ow, that’s no way to wake your fiancé up”.  
“I told you before, I’m not your fiancé”.  
He sighed and rolled over to face me, his grin widening even further.  
“You were in my dream”.  
It took me a minute to guess what he was getting at but just as I was about react, his arms shot out and pulled me roughly to him, and I became very physically aware of what he had meant as our bodies were pressed together.  
I began to struggle but his arms were like a vice around me.  
“Sebastian let me go”.  
“Keep struggling, it’s very titillating”.  
His lips descended as he began to kiss all over my neck, face and right ear. He gently blew air into my ear and chuckled as I recoiled and struggled more.  
“You have no idea how long I’ve been thinking about this”. His voice was husky with desire and it made me want to squirm.  
“I can imagine, let me go”.  
“Oh Clara, don’t be a spoilsport. I know you’ve been thinking about this too”. I felt one of his hands move down my body, cupping all the flesh under my pjs before slipping under the shirt, to my side.  
“Sebastian don’t make me knee you in the groin”.  
His hand stopped moving as his eyes sought mine out incredulously.  
“You wouldn’t dare”.  
I just raised an eyebrow in challenge.  
He shot a hurt look at me but he let me go and I moved as far away as the bed would allow.  
“When did you get so uptight Clara? You used to be up for all sorts of things back when we were together”.  
“That’s not true and you know it”.  
He nodded in agreement.  
“Yes I lied but it was because you loved being a virgin so much back then”.  
“I was just waiting for the right person, and it was good that I did since you were lying to me the entire time we were together”.  
“Oh my God Clara, you’re like a dog with a bone. Let it go, I told you I was sorry. I want you now, isn’t that enough”?  
“It’s kind of hard to trust someone that’s betrayed you and shot you”.  
“But it’s easy to trust an assassin”?  
“Bucky’s never lied about who he is”.  
“Really? Not even once”?  
I shook my head.  
“Never”.  
He scoffed but I could tell that he was hurt.  
“You don’t know anything about this guy Clara. He’s a trained liar and has killed more people than you’ll ever know, believe me, this I know. I’ve looked at the files. His red book”.  
I couldn’t meet his eyes, what he was saying was the truth and it stung a little.  
He seized on my silence to convince me even more.  
“See! You know it’s the truth. He’s dangerous”.  
“More than you are”?  
This time he couldn’t meet my eyes.  
“I would never hurt you”.  
“Again”? I asked.  
He changed the subject.  
“Why won’t you give me a chance Clara”?  
“You know why, I’m in love with someone else”.  
“Wow, love already. He must have been absolute gold in bed”. He was taunting me but he couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.  
“Sebastian it’s not like that”-  
He cut me off, rolling angrily out of bed.  
“Oh no it’s because he’s perfect in every way isn’t he? Your sweet, wounded Bucky. You know what I think? I think you won’t give me a chance because you’re afraid you’ll like it not, because of any sort of love you’re imagining”.  
I didn’t answer and Sebastian whirled on his heel, slamming the bathroom door in his wake. I sighed, the next few days weren’t going to be easy, but I counted myself lucky. I couldn’t imagine having to spend any more time with him now that I’d all but crushed his hopes for good.   
My suspicions were proven right because Sebastian was distant, and at times terribly cold to me, his eyes like chips of ice in his face. He didn’t talk to me when he dropped me off at Anna’s and he was on the phone before I’d even left the car, his voice honeyed and I couldn’t be sure but I thought he was talking to a woman.  
Well that was just fine by me, the more distracted he was, the better it was for my plan. Speaking of the plan, it took nearly all my self- control to keep my excitement at going to Anna’s away from him. It felt like ages since I’d heard my father’s voice, it would also be nice to hear about the outside world. The base was so cut off from everything, I hadn’t had access to the news or the internet since I’d been captured. I was practically dying of lack of knowledge.  
“Ooh what did you do to Commander Carter? He’s positively livid this morning”.  
“What- how do you know about that”? I asked as she sat down at her desk.  
“I’ve known him for a long time Clara, I know when he’s about to go on the warpath”.  
I sighed in defeat and told her about the argument.  
She shook her head worriedly even before I’d finished my sentence.  
“So he wants to get back together. What’s the problem”?  
“There’s no way on God’s green earth that I would ever consent to such a thing”.  
My mother just shrugged.  
“Why not”?  
I was so incredulous I was lost for words.  
“Apart from the fact that I have a boyfriend, he shot me and he’s a monster. I mean you said yourself-”.  
“Clara, I know perfectly well what he is but you’re wasting a perfect opportunity here. Sure he’s a monster but I thought you were an agent”? She leaned over her desk, fingers knit under her chin as she regarded me with a little disappointment.  
“I am an agent” I replied a little defensive.  
“Well then act like one. We have an operation happening in a few days and it would be foolish to do anything to put that in jeopardy all because of how you feel. Sure you have a boyfriend but from what I hear he’s not perfect himself. He of all people would understand survival, and he would be very foolish to get angry over something as silly as this”.  
I sat back in my chair a little taken aback. How had this conversation turned so quickly? She was right and from the twinkle in her blue eyes, I could see that we both knew it. As much as Sebastian turned my stomach, I couldn’t jeopardize this mission all because of my emotions, my father would have said the exact same thing. However, that didn’t mean that I liked it any more than I had to.  
“Look, I get what you’re saying and I know you’re right but it still makes me sick. God, Dad would say the exact same thing though wouldn’t he? How did I never notice how similar you guys are before”?  
My mother smiled a little wistfully.  
“Believe it or not, once upon a time we were the best of friends”.  
My mother took out an old cellphone from her desk and handed it over.  
“As promised”.  
I took it in my hand, I’d never thought that the oldest ugliest phone could mean so much.  
She got up from the desk and made to walk out of the office.  
“I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed, my secretary has the day off today so there’s no chance of being overheard”.  
“Wait. Don’t you want to” my voice trailed off at the look on her face.  
“There’s no use dredging up the past Clara, if he asks, tell him that I say hello” she said quietly, leaving the room before I could reply.  
I licked my lips nervously before dialing the number I knew off by heart.  
My father answered on the first ring.  
“Hello, Marcus here”.  
“Dad”?  
I heard his rough intake of breath.  
“Clara is that you”?  
“Yes Dad it is me, how are you”?  
“You’re asking me how I am when you’ve been the one I’ve been worried about. How are YOU? The bugs have been helpful but it’s not the same”.  
“I’m fine Dad, I would have warned you via the bugs but things have moved really quickly”.  
“Are you sure Clara? He hasn’t hurt you in any way, because if he has”-  
“Dad I’m fine”.  
“No no you’re not. No need to put on a brave face, this is all my fault. I never should have let you go to that party”.  
“Dad, there was no way you could have known. We were betrayed by Crossbones- Hydra’s been cooperating with him, besides, it’s not important now. That’s not why I’m calling you”.  
“So you mean you’re still on that Godforsaken base? Clara I can send people to get you out of there”-  
“Dad, that won’t be necessary. Besides, we have a mission to finish”.  
“Clara, forget about the mission. We can mayday it today, I want you out of there now. It’s too dangerous”.  
“There’s no way even you can get me out of here, the whole place is too heavily guarded and it would just be stupid to attempt it. Without inside help that is”.  
I heard the hesitation in my father’s voice, he was still worried about me but he was still Marcus Smith and could smell a plan in the works from a mile away.  
“You have inside help is that it”?  
“Yes, last night I met with the insurgents that I’m sure Bucky told you about. They’re desperate to act but don’t have the means. I promised them our help if they’d help me get out. They want to see the end of Hydra just as much as we do”.  
“Insurgents? All on your own Clara? I don’t know if we can trust these people”.  
“Oh we can trust them for sure” I replied grimly before telling him about mom being their leader Calypso, how she’d been recruited by the British and had been working on bringing them down ever since. I detailed the meeting, the plan and finally asked him if he agreed.  
There was silence on the end of the line as my father took in all I had told him.  
“Things really have been progressing quickly” he joked feebly. I could tell that he was totally shocked by what I’d told him and my father didn’t shock easily.  
“Of all the places, I’d never imagined that Anna would”… he trailed off.  
“I know, I was completely shocked too. No one has any idea though and it has to stay that way for now”.  
“That’s for the best, make sure that it stays that way. People react to information in all sorts of ways, these insurgents may be allies for now but they can’t be trusted”. His voice was sharp as he said that but then his tone softened.  
“I tried to look for her but it became harder as more things at work came up. Is she there”?  
I felt a twinge of guilt as I heard the hopeful note in his voice. Deep down I’d always known that my father was still in love with my mother all these years and he had just confirmed it.  
“No, she uh thought it was best that we talk first” I changed the topic before he asked anymore.   
“So do you agree to the plan? Can you be here by Friday at three am”?  
“Of course I agree to the plan Clara, its brilliant. Are you sure that all the officials will be there”?  
“Yup, there’s a party on Friday night and a meeting the next day that they’re staying for”.  
“I’ll be able to make plenty of arrests except for your insurgents eh”?  
“Yes Dad, it’s a condition of them helping me”.  
My Dad sighed.  
“Alright, I’m just getting greedy now. Saturday morning it is then”.  
I breathed a sigh of relief at those words.  
“Great. We’ll deal with logistics later but for now can I please talk to Bucky”?  
“Bucky? Clara I have no idea where James is, I haven’t seen him since you guys left”.  
“What”?  
“Yes, the guy went completely AWOL after his run in with those Hydra thugs at the airport. I would have sent someone after him but he still calls and sends in his reports so there was no need although I still hold him personally responsible for your abduction”.  
“Dad, it wasn’t his fault. He was against me going but I persuaded him otherwise. If Its anyone’s fault, its mine”.  
“Hmmm” he replied, the hostile tone still in his voice but I decided to let it go.  
As disappointed as I was to hear that Bucky wasn’t there, I felt slightly relieved. I didn’t know how he felt about me meddling in his life and writing that letter to Captain America. It was a conversation best left to when we saw each other again.  
“Well I suppose you’ll have to tell him when you hear from him again. Oh yeah, tell him that Hydra is on his tail since he’s been seen with Captain America and to watch out”.  
“Will do darling”.  
I breathed out in relief, some of the tension leaving my body.  
“Thanks Dad, I’ve been really worried”.  
We went through some more logistical spy stuff before I had to say goodbye. I hated hanging up my only tie to the outside world but I knew that I’d be out of here in a matter of days if all went to plan.

 

Alas, nothing ever goes exactly to plan does it?  
The next day, to put it colloquially, the shit veritably hit the fan. I should have known something was wrong when Sebastian came to pick me up early from Anna’s but I only felt a chill run down my back when I saw the evil gleam in Fred’s eyes as he waited outside the apartment. Steve and Bill were standing beside him, their faces so still it was like they were made of stone. Almost like Sebastian’s.  
Sebastian clearly had been expecting him because he just walked past him and opened the door without looking back. I scampered inside after him, Fred’s cold gaze chilly on my back.  
I tried to meet Sebastian’s gaze but his eyes always seemed to look above me.  
Fred saluted Sebastian.  
“I’m so glad that you could organize this on such notice Commander” he simpered.  
“Well it seems that I had no choice” this time he fully looked at me, his eyes as cold as blue ice chips.  
“Shall we proceed then”? Fred asked conversationally and I felt my stomach clench in fear.  
“Sebastian what’s happening”? I asked trying to hide the panic in my voice.  
Sebastian just ignored me as he nodded to Steve and Bill. Suddenly, they closed the distance between the living room couch and me, seizing my upper arms in a vice like grip. I didn’t struggle because I remembered it had proven useless, no, the best way to handle this was to stay calm.  
Fred sauntered over to me, a cruel smile on his eyes.  
“It’s funny that you should ask that Miss Smith, I was hoping you could tell me”.  
I felt panic form knots in my stomach, all manner of horrors going through my mind, did they know about the plan? Were the insurgents being rounded up right now? Worse did they have Bucky? That last one almost made my resolve crumble but I tried to keep my face like a mask.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”.  
“Tut tut” Fred said. “I’ve always said you were too soft on her Commander”.  
Sebastian’s jaw clenched and his eyes grew even more distant.  
“It seems I have”.  
Fred turned back to me.  
“A nasty rumor has come to my attention, that you’ve somehow managed to make contact with the CIA and you’ve been feeding them important information”.  
Shit. How had they found out about the phone call so soon? No, they couldn’t know about that or Anna would have been arrested by now. No, all they knew was that I’d somehow gotten word out, they just didn’t know how. I felt a little calmer even though my palms were still stick with sweat.  
“I don’t know anything about that, it must just be that, a rumor” I replied coldly.  
Fred’s face twisted in rage, he could tell that I was mocking him.  
“Don’t lie to me you silly little girl, it won’t end well for you. I know more than you think”.  
I kept my face impassive. They didn’t know anything and we both knew it.  
“If you know then why are you asking me”? I knew that I should have kept my answers polite but I really despised Fred, seeing his rotund body after so long made me certain that I’d make sure Bucky saved him for last.  
Fred’s jaw clenched, his hands forming fat little fists as he tried to rein in his temper.  
“I know that you’ve been sneaking little messages off to your father, that he knows you’re on the base”.  
“If you think that my father didn’t already know I was on the base then you’re stupider than I thought”.  
I didn’t see the slap but I felt it, my tongue stinging as I bit it and my vision took a moment to clear. I tried to meet Sebastian’s gaze once more but he was watching me already, his eyes blank. So that’s how it was going to be? And he had professed to be a changed man. It seemed it didn’t extend to matters concerning Hydra.   
“I’m going to ask again, how have you been communicating with your father”?  
Fred’s words drew my gaze again but I just glared at him, disgusting creature.  
“You creeps frisked me pretty good when I got here, there’s no way I could be communicating with my father. You made sure of it, didn’t you”? I taunted.  
Fred slapped me again but this time I was ready for him. I wasn’t the same girl that I’d been at the Smithsonian, I wasn’t afraid to take a hit.  
“Not her face Fred, we have a party on Friday remember”? Sebastian cautioned.  
Oh what a coward, he couldn’t stand to hit me himself so he had someone else do it. In that moment, I hated Sebastian even more than I hated Fred. He had done nothing but hurt me even though he was constantly professing to love me. He was a classic abuser, like his father in every way and perfect to rule Hydra. I would make him pay for everything he had done to me, to Bucky and all the people he had hurt and I’d do it before the week was up. The sweetest thing was that he wouldn’t even see it coming.  
“Right, yes Commander”.  
“Tell me now before I have to hit you again”.  
I just looked above his head, wishing that I could ram my fist into his gut.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Fred, you’re wasting your time”.  
Fred tried everything, he hit me in the stomach and eventually began to threaten me with a knife before Sebastian said enough. They dragged me back out to the car. We drove to a part of the base I’d never been to, it was another squat brick building that was guarded by two men with huge machine guns. Steve and Bill dragged me down a dark corridor over cold stone floors and past another guard with a gun who nodded at our odd procession. We turned the corner and then I saw the cells, blank eyes greeted me as they walked me past. I felt so guilty looking at some of the skinny, starved looking men and women that watched me pass silently. I thought that I had it bad but all this time I’d been practically living in the lap of luxury. There was a hush as they walked me past, I turned and glimpsed Fred smacking some of the bars, unadulterated glee on his face. I felt a chill as I recognized a face, it was Theresa Gray- the real Theresa Gray was staring back at me. Her hair was matted together, dull and her clothes were dirty. So she hadn’t managed to get away. They must have swooped on her the second I’d been captured. At least Kevin Conners hadn’t been captured- I’d heard from my mother that they were still looking for him.  
“See anyone you know”? Fred taunted.  
I just ignored him, fighting the bile rising at the back of my throat. So this was the real Hydra, I’d never fully seen them in their natural habitat but now I did.   
We stopped at the end of the hallway, there was a cell that looked different from all the others. It was small and had a metal door instead of the classic bars. Fred took out a pair of keys and unlocked the door slowly.  
“Are you sure you don’t know anything”?  
I bit my lip, I didn’t want to be left here to rot like all those other prisoners. The thought of being trapped almost made me spill the beans but I thought of Theresa, of Jason, of Ian and my mother. All the people that would never get to be free of Hydra if I opened my mouth. All those ruined lives weren’t worth me talking all to spare myself a little discomfort. I just remained silent.  
Steve and Bill tossed me into the darkened cell, my hands scraping on the stone as I fell to my knees.  
Fred stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a slow smile creeping over his face.  
“This cell should help to jog your memory”.  
I glanced at Sebastian but his eyes were as closed off as ever.  
“Sebastian, I don’t know what he’s talking about” I pleaded.  
He just looked away, his hands deep in his pockets.  
“I don’t tolerate insubordination Clara” he replied coldly. “From anyone”.  
So this was his way of punishing me for not being able to love him. There was no way he would have allowed Fred to treat me like this before but he was still angry about me rejecting him. I swallowed angrily, so be it.   
Sebastian nodded at Fred who slammed the door shut, plunging me into absolute darkness, powerless as I heard their footsteps recede.  
I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes as I felt silence and darkness press in on all sides. I felt fear worm its way into my thoughts, what if they kept me in here until Saturday and the plan was ruined? Would I always be doomed to be kept Sebastian’s prisoner forever? I felt terrified at such a prospect but I didn’t allow myself to fall into that even darker trap. I remembered my training, I began making a list of all the things that I had to achieve in order to get out of the base for good. I did it over and over again until exhaustion got the best of me and I fell asleep.  
I dreamt for the first time in ages, I dreamt of Bucky and our precious night together. He looked so real, his eyes were sparkling blue and he was smiling at me, his kisses as sweet as I remembered them. I held onto him so close, my hands sifting through his hair and his hands so strong but gentle on my body, his voice echoing in my ears as I woke up. I felt tears on my cheeks as I opened my eyes- it was still dark and I felt some of the terror from the day before return. Had it been the day before? It had been late afternoon when I’d been brought here, there was no way I’d slept the whole night through. It was probably in the early hours- one or two in the morning. It was so cold, I hugged my body grateful for the cardigan that I was wearing and I stretched out, my feet touching one wall of the stone cell.   
God how I missed Bucky, I didn’t even realize it before now. I missed him enough for it to hurt, the memory- even a dream was too much for me. I felt a tear run down my face, how had I let this happen? If only I’d listened to Bucky, I’m sure we’d be back in that house in Montana, his arms around me with barely a care in the world. He’d pull me close and our lips would touch and we’d get lost in each other for a few moments. I wish we were back in New York, at home and we were watching movies on the couch, the sound of the city in the background. I wish I could be there to explain, to tell him myself why I’d written to Steve knowing that I was betraying him. I felt guilt and my throat felt like it was closing up and I finally just let it all out. I cried and I cried for the longest time, the sobs loud and raw in my ears. I cried for because I missed Bucky, my father, home, I cried about my mother and I just cried because I didn’t know what to do anymore. I cried so long that I didn’t even remember falling asleep the second time.  
When I woke again, it was still dark but there was a tiny torch lit near my head. I saw there was a plastic plate and cup of food and water. It was just some cold oatmeal but I guzzled it down like there was no tomorrow, I was absolutely starving. I drank some of the water but decided not to down it all because I hadn’t seen anything resembling a toilet in the cell and didn’t want to find a solution to that problem this early on.   
I got up and began pacing (well pacing as much as one does in a tiny cell) to pass the time, eventually I was driven to exercising when pacing got too boring. I couldn’t believe that it had been over a week since I’d been here! Saturday morning would make it two weeks since I’d been taken from that hotel room in LA. I needed to be in the best shape possible if I was going to get out of here- I’d decided that I wasn’t going to wait around for Sebastian to come and get me when he felt like it. The next time someone brought food, I would look for my opportunity and hopefully make it out of the base on my own. Sure it wasn’t Saturday yet but I’d just have to lay low until the CIA came, that could be in a few hours or even less. Who knew how long I’d been asleep? I needed a weapon of some sort first, I wasn’t Bucky after all. I felt around the stone cell, patting up and down the raspy dry floors and walls, looking for anything that could help me. Even a spoon would have been perfect but no dice. I’d had to eat the oatmeal with my hands.  
My thoughts stopped short when I heard the jingle of keys outside of my cell- I froze-I’d have to wait for another opportunity, I couldn’t risk failing and being taken somewhere even worse. I forced myself to relax as the door swung open and I was blinded by light.  
“Clara” I heard Sebastian say.  
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my streaming eyes.  
There was Sebastian standing in front of me, as handsome as ever and I felt my blood boil. I hated the sight of him, from his black leather boots to his perfectly coiffed hair. Had he come to torment me more? How much more could he humiliate me? How much more could he take from me?  
He held his hand out to me.  
“I’m sorry Clara, things got out of hand. I think you should come home with me”.  
I watched his face and his hand thoughtfully. Sebastian really was crazy if he thought that he could come marching back in here and just act like everything was fine. In the short time that I’d known him, he’d hurt me more than anyone else ever had. I would have loved nothing than to smash the oatmeal bowl into his perfect fake sincere face. However I didn’t want to risk fighting Sebastian this early on, I may have been no novice but even Bucky struggled with Sebastian. No, I’d have to beat him another way and how could I resist when he was so sweetly offering it to me?   
I reached out and took his hand, pulling his body to me in a hug.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Sebastian was taken by surprise at first but then I felt him relax as he hugged me back.  
“Oh Sebastian please don’t leave me in there again. I can’t do it” I babbled half incoherently while adding a sniffle in for good effect.  
He pulled away, cupping my face in his hands as he met my eyes.  
“I promise I won’t leave you again. Okay”?  
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and I nodded obediently. My mother was right, I was an agent and after tonight, I’d never let Sebastian forget it. I was going to make him pay for everything he’d done to me and more. I wasn’t just going to make him bleed, I was going to twist the knife.

Sebastian spent the rest of the day with me, and I continued to play the part of cowed obedient hostage all day long. I kept the talk to a minimum and I stayed close to him all day long, touching some part of him at all times. On the couch I snuggled close to his side and when he’d talk, I’d touch his knee, shoulder, and arm – anything that would further make him think that he’d broken me.  
Unfortunately Sebastian wasn’t stupid, every now and then I saw the doubt in his eyes, and how he looked at me when he thought I wouldn’t notice. But I did. He would have this look on his face that was halfway between wonder and confusion. I would just smile to myself and keep up the show.  
Around five Sebastian said exactly what I’d been waiting for him to say.  
“Clara, I don’t want to rush you but we have a party tonight”.  
I looked away from him and snuggled closer into his side.  
“I don’t know if I can do a party tonight Seb, I just don’t think I can handle it”. I brought out my old nickname from when we’d been dating, I was taking no chances.  
He took the bait and stroked my face with his thumb.  
“Clara, I’m the leader of Hydra, I have to be there”.  
I looked down and threaded my fingers with his.  
“Can’t we just stay in for tonight? Just this once”?  
“C, I would love nothing better but it will look bad. I promise it’ll be fun if you come”.  
I looked up and bit my lip.  
“I don’t know Seb”.  
He moved closer to me, his hand moving down under my jaw and I had to resist the urge to pull away.   
“Come on C, after the party it’ll just be the two of us and we can spend some more time together. I promise”.  
I nodded hesitantly and Sebastian’s face broke out into a smile.  
“Good girl”.  
I half smiled and Sebastian covered his lips with mine. I relaxed into the kiss and ignored the guilt that was bubbling up in my stomach. If this was the only way to get out of here then I would do it. But why did he have to be such a good kisser, I mean Bucky was the best but Sebastian’s lips felt pretty good too. I felt déjà vu as I remembered all the days that I’d spent with my lips on his, I’d lived for those days when I’d find him waiting outside my house and I knew that we’d get lost in each other. I felt myself react to the kiss, pulling him closer and I knew that Bucky had been right all along. I really had still loved Sebastian even though he’d hurt me so much but I also knew in that instant that I had loved a false Sebastian. A boy who’d been interested in good food, college and sports. One who didn’t harbor such a deadly secret, who didn’t enjoy hurting others so much and would stop at nothing to ruin everything that was good in this world.   
Sebastian pulled away, pecking me on the lips one last time before beaming at me.  
“I ordered a dress for you a few days ago and it arrived today” he hesitated for a moment, a strange expression on his face.  
“What is it”?  
“I said a few days ago that I had a present for you but now I really have a present for you. It hasn’t felt right until now so”..  
He kissed me again before walking around to the bookcase, he came back with a red Cartier box and I knew exactly what the ‘present’ was.  
“Look Clara, I never proposed properly before and I’m sorry for that. Everything just went completely off the wall and basically all I want to ask is not that you marry me but will agree to give us a try and be my fiancé if that makes any sense”.  
His voice was confident but I sensed trepidation in his eyes. It was the worst proposal in the world but I had to act like I was convinced, so I did.  
I looked away and then back at him, biting my lip.  
“Seb, I want to but I’m scared”.  
“What are you scared of? I can protect you from anything in the world” his voice was protective and I saw a fierceness in his eyes.  
Can you protect me from yourself? I wondered in my head.  
“I can’t be locked in that room again. I don’t like violence and I can’t agree if I feel like there’s a noose around my neck”.  
“Clara, I’m sorry about that. I was angry and I didn’t know what to do when you rejected me. I promise that I won’t do it again and I’m going to try harder to protect you from now on”.  
It was so sad, he actually believed his own lies.  
I bit my lip again.  
I nodded my head slowly after a minute and I instantly saw relief in his eyes. What had I just gotten myself into? I smiled at him nervously, oh, I would twist the knife alright.

 

Everyone couldn’t stop staring the ring as Sebastian and the future Mrs Carter held court at the head table. I’d taken every opportunity to latch myself onto Sebastian, clutching him with my left hand, stroking his hair back and even fixing his bowtie. That night we were the perfect example of a happy couple, Sebastian was definitely in a great mood. He was positively radiant and was absolutely convinced that he’d won. I evidently looked the part too since my mother raised an eyebrow at me when we’d lovingly exchanged pecks and whispered conspiratorially at the head table. Fred had looked positively thunderstruck when we’d entered the room, Sebastian in his perfect Giorgio Armani tux and me in my black silk plunging number that he’d ordered specifically from Armani too. My curls had been left natural, pinned back to look like an old school starlet and my bruises covered over in Chanel make up by a speed dial make-up artist who didn’t ask questions.   
By far the best reactions had come from the two people Fred had been talking animatedly to- Gwen and Malcom Evans. He had looked annoyed and Gwen’s rosebud mouth had dropped open as she eyed me with open envy on her face. She looked positively cheap in a revealing ice blue satin number and slicked back hair. I’d never seen her look so defeated. I’d smirked at her and her father, enjoying the moment a little more than was professional. If only her and her father knew what they were in for in just a few hours, they would have more to worry about than a shockingly big diamond and platinum ring from Cartier.  
Fred was sour the whole night, he kept shooting me dark looks and squirmed when our ‘engagement’ was properly toasted with an expensive French champagne. I sipped on it daintily, knowing full well that I would have to be up in a few hours to raise hell. Sebastian kept drinking though and I was all the more glad because he just became happier and happier each time. After dessert was served, my mother’s blue eyes met mine and she gave me a long, meaningful look as she excused herself. I waited a minute or two before slipping away, Sebastian laughing at something one of his cronies had said and too joyous to care.  
My mother was standing in the bathroom, beautiful as a statue in a crisp white column gown. As soon as I walked in, she grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the sinks.  
“Clara, what are you playing at”?  
I looked around nervously but the bathroom was empty.  
I tugged my arm away.  
“What do you mean”?  
She threw her hands up in exasperation.  
“You really don’t know? You disappear for two days without telling me anything and reappear when you feel like it”.  
“I didn’t disappear” I replied a little haughtily.  
“Well what happened then? I didn’t know what to think when he came to get you yesterday”.  
“I spent the rest of yesterday getting smacked about by Sebastian’s goons and then I got thrown into a cold cell on the other side of the base. What did you think? That I just decided to wander off with Sebastian? Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t know seeing as you’re head of intelligence and all” I sniped.  
My mother’s eyes widened in alarm.  
“What? Sebastian had you put in a holding cell. Why”?  
“He found out that I’d been talking to the CIA that’s why”.  
Her face paled and her shoulders slumped a little.  
“Clara, I had no idea. Honestly this is a first, usually I’m in charge of who gets put into the cells”.  
I softened a little, the news really had shaken her.  
“Its not your fault, Fred took the news straight to him and he was already angry with me”.  
Her eyes met mine, a little frantic.  
“The mission, is it blown”?  
I shook my head.  
“No, we’re still on. He doesn’t suspect a thing and now’s the perfect time. They’re getting more and more paranoid about the insurgents and your whole Calypso thing. My interrogation was a sign”.  
She sighed in relief, her face calm once more.  
“You know when you first walked in, I was a little scared that you’d backed out on me. You’ve really put on quite a show tonight, I’ve never seen Sebastian happier”.  
I smiled a little at the compliment.  
“Thanks. I’m just following your advice and based on how well its working, I should have done it a long time ago”.  
She looked at me then, her eyes darting all over my face as if she wanted to commit it to memory. At first I was okay with it but then it got too much, too emotional for me and I looked away, clearing my throat.  
“What’s happening? Did you manage to coordinate more with Dad”?  
She ran her fingers through her hair.  
“That’s another thing, your father was livid when he found out that I didn’t know where you were. He threatened to show up a day early”.  
I frowned thoughtfully.  
“How did he find out about that”?  
“He kept calling and calling all day today. I tried to avoid it but in the end I gave in and answered. Your father’s always been shrewd, he could tell that I wasn’t telling him everything”.  
I nodded. That was Dad alright.  
“It was a very awkward conversation. One I would have preferred to have in person” she remarked almost forgetting that she was talking out loud.  
“What’s happening tonight”? I drew her out of her reverie. Sebastian would only be distracted for so long.  
My mother’s eyes focused on me at once.  
She grabbed my hand and pressed something hard and short with rounded ends.  
I looked down at it for a second, it was a capsule shaped piece of black metal that fit into my palm perfectly before she closed my hand once more.  
“That’s a sedative capsule Clara, you have to prick him and he’ll go out like a light in a few seconds”.  
“How long do I have”?  
“It’s pretty powerful so anywhere from half an hour to fifty five minutes”.  
I nodded thoughtfully, that would be more than enough time.  
“Jason will be waiting outside for you and you’ll make your way over to the front of the base to await more instructions. Don’t be late, Jason will be there at 3:10 sharp”.  
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world” I smiled. This capsule was going to be my ticket out of here and I wasn’t going to waste it.  
“Good. We’re lucky that Jason didn’t tell the others you were missing. They definitely would have pulled out if they got wind of anything bad” she suddenly squinted at my face. “Are those bruises”?  
“Yeah, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that Fred smacked me around”.  
“That absolute animal. I’ll be glad to see his face tomorrow, he’s always liked violence a little too much. They all do”. Her eyes were cold and I could see the anger forming lines at the edge of her mouth.  
“I have to go now before Sebastian gets suspicious”.  
She nodded but as I tried to walk away, she caught my arm again.  
“Be careful Clara, even with the sedative he’s still dangerous. I don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks, if you feel unsafe using it, don’t be afraid to sit it out and we’ll come and get you”.  
I nodded. I couldn’t risk fighting Sebastian on my own, I mean I wasn’t terrible but even Bucky had been gotten the best of by him once and he’d almost died for it. I nodded at my mother and made my way back to Sebastian. My mother was right but there was no way that I was going to sit this one out, especially if it meant seeing Bucky again. What if he didn’t come though? Last time I’d talked to my father, he hadn’t spoken to him for over a week. Doubt gnawed at me like mosquitoes as I sat by Sebastian’s side, watching the party happen but completely distracted from it at the same time.  
What had I done sending that letter to Captain America? What if they were too busy to care about some girl? What if Bucky had decided that he didn’t need me anymore and that he had a life to get on with? Had I imagined our whole relationship? What if he had decided that Steve was more important than me? Was Sebastian right and had I imagined our love?  
Those doubts followed me all night, as we left the party just before midnight and when we went to bed around one. Sebastian was still over the moon when we got back, he was all hands and I could tell that he wanted more. His kisses were long and sweet and more than once his hands roved where they weren’t supposed to. It made me regret going to bed so early after we’d gotten back but I had no choice. The plan would work better if he was sleeping, I didn’t want to risk getting into a struggle with him unless it was strictly necessary.   
Sebastian’s fingers had somehow squeezed themselves into the waistband of my pants when I decided that I’d had enough and I would surely regret it if I let him continue. I pulled my lips away and mumbled his name as coherently as I could.  
“Mmm” he replied, his hair tousled and his eyes still focused on my lips.  
I sought out any topic to distract him without making it seem like there was something wrong.  
“Where do you want to get married”?   
He frowned and then smiled.  
“I don’t really care, you can choose if you like”. His lips descended once more but I raised my hand to his chest. He settled for kissing my hand instead and I almost rolled my eyes. I’d forgotten how persistent he could be.  
“Sebastian I want to get married at home. In New York”.  
He stopped kissing my hand for a moment, his eyes clear this time.  
“Clara I- yes we can get married in New York. We’ll spare no expense. You can have whatever you want, jewelry, dresses- whatever. The skies the limit”.  
“Good”.  
He looked at me for a moment longer, a strange expression playing over his face.  
“What”? I asked a little playfully.  
“I just can’t believe that you’ve changed your mind. I almost didn’t ask you know, the other day when we” he paused. “When we argued, I was sure that I’d lost for sure. Did you really mean it”? He asked a little eagerly.  
“Of course I meant it silly, being here has really…. Opened my eyes and how much I took us (my voice almost cracked but I covered it) for granted”.  
“Well I’m glad you changed your mind. We really are going to do this Clara, the whole world is ours for the taking. I know that there’ll be things that we have to do that you aren’t comfortable with but you have to think about the big picture”.  
His eyes took on a feverish glow and there was colour in his cheeks. He really believed in this stuff, good God, it was no wonder he’d been chosen as leader, pedigree aside, he was a fanatic.  
“Clara, in time you’ll see that we are the good guys. We just seem scary because we have vision but its only because they don’t understand. Its our job to make them see, its our duty, our Berufung as my father used to say and now I pass that onto you”. He brought my hands up to his lips and kissed them, his lips pressing on my ring too.  
“I don’t know what to say Seb” I replied because it was true.  
“Shh, don’t say anything. Just say yes”.  
“Well I would say yes but at the same time I’m scared”.  
His face turned hard at once, his eyes searching my face.  
“What are you scared of”?  
I hesitated for a moment but hardened my heart, I was going to twist the dagger. He didn’t deserve my sympathy, no matter how he lied to himself, he was still a monster.  
“I’m terrified of facing him again. I don’t think he’ll let me go”.  
“Do you mean the Winter Soldier”?  
I nodded as nervously as I could.  
“I won’t let you near him. You’ll stay here on the base with me until we get married then we’ll relocate” he replied fiercely, his arms wrapping around me protectively.  
“Are you sure? Even though we were together, he always scared me. I keep thinking that you were right and I didn’t really know him”.  
“I promise that you’ll never have to see him again. How do you feel about Dallas? I was thinking it was time we picked out a house together”.  
I nodded slowly as if I was just warming to the idea.  
“Dallas sounds great” I replied.  
“Good” he kissed me on the forehead. “You’ll see that you’re making the right decision Clara, it’s just a matter of time and then maybe it’ll be even easier when your father sees it our way too”.  
I nodded.  
“Okay Seb”.  
He sought my eyes for a moment, an intensity in his blue eyes.  
“You know I love you right”.  
I swallowed before replying, my mouth dry.  
“I know. I think I always loved you too”.  
At least it was the truth, I had loved him once upon a time but it most certainly wasn’t the case anymore. As for him loving me, I was sure that he did love me in his own twisted way but it would never be in the way that I wanted to be loved. Bucky wasn’t perfect but at least he wasn’t a monster.  
Sebastian finally fell asleep around two, and I slipped out of his grip. I watched the clock, going over the plan in my head, the capsule pressed hard in my hand under my pillow. It was one of the longest hours of my life, hearing the ticking of the clock loudly in my ears as I prayed that everything would go to plan just this once.  
It was five to three when I finally got out of bed, Sebastian was out cold and he was even snoring! He looked so young when he was asleep. It was tough to remember that he had caused so much grief for so many people. I slipped the capsule from under my pillow gently but quickly. Chances were that Jason was already making his way over here and I’d promised that I wouldn’t be late. I rolled over to face him and he stirred, his eyelids twitching and I froze. Luckily he was still sound asleep and began snoring again after a few seconds. I wiped my sweaty palm, opening the capsule’s lid and bringing the exposed needle to the side of Sebastian’s neck. I gritted my teeth and in one smooth movement, I plunged the needle into the side of his neck. Sebastian’s eyes flew open immediately, surprise, hurt and panic clear in his eyes. My mother’s warning ringing in my ears, I rolled off the bed before his hands could grab me.   
Sebastian tried to lunge at me but then his movements became sluggish and he fell back onto the bed.  
“Why”? He asked feebly, his eyes watching me balefully even as they slid shut.  
I stood up from the crouch that I’d landed in and was finally honest with Sebastian.  
“Because you’re a monster and I could never love someone like you. You have to be stopped and this is the only way”.  
His eyes closed fully and I approached him cautiously. I touched him but he didn’t stir, not even the faintest movement. Christ, that capsule really must be something. Not wasting any time, I rolled Sebastian over and used a bedsheet to tie his hands together like I’d learned from Bucky. I then went into the bathroom, retrieving my remaining pin bugs, fingerprint forger and the last bastion of defense: my eyeliner laser. I changed my clothes- slipping back into my old jeans and sweatshirt, leaving all the expensive clothes he’d bought me a little mournfully. I kept the ring though, slipping it into my bra. Sure it was a little harsh but why waste such a formidable gift? The CIA would just seize it but I could actually do something with it. 

I finally got to use the laser, making short work of the locks on the front door and closing it behind me with two minutes to spare. Jason pulled up just as I was walking to the carpark and as soon as I got in, he pulled away.  
“Hey you”.  
“Hey” I replied cheerfully.   
“I was worried that something would go wrong and I’d have to follow you in there” he joked a little feebly. I could still hear the tension in his voice.  
“No I was lucky. I waited for him to fall asleep and then bang, he went out like a light”.  
He smiled at me.  
“That’s great because I really did not want to have to subdue him. He’s one hell of a fighter, I remember when we were all training here. He was an absolute nightmare. Crazy strong”.  
“Oh I’ve had the misfortune to be on the receiving ends of his fists”.  
Jason glanced at me and I changed the topic before he could ask.  
“Where are we going anyway”?  
“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that you’ve been out of the loop. We’re going to watch the fireworks”.  
“Fireworks”? I asked.  
“Oh yeah, it’s near here actually. It’ll go sky high”.

 

I smiled.  
“I look forward to seeing that”.  
We parked in a deserted carpark and waited. I could see the vague outline of a huge dark building in the distance.  
“Aren’t there usually guards posted here”?  
“Of course but Anna had them pulled to the west side of the base- something to do with a commotion near the exterior”.  
We weren’t there for long before I heard a loud pop and a huge whoosh as the building was engulfed in flames.  
“Whoo”! Jason hooted, clapping his hands.   
“Wow” was the only thing I could manage. It really was a spectacle, the flames rising high into the black sky like a beacon. I could hear the roaring of the inferno from inside the car. A loud alarm sounded and Jason started the car up again.   
“We need to get out of here before they show up to investigate. The commander’s barracks aren’t far from here and while he might be subdued, his subordinates won’t be”.  
Jason punched the gas and we drove away, he took tiny back roads and deserted streets as we left. I even glimpsed what looked like a dilapidated section of the base, old buildings with empty windows and cracked concrete. I wondered what they had once been. It was no wonder that Sebastian had never brought me here.  
I heard another explosion go off and I instantly knew what it must have been. The CIA had to be here and hopefully Bucky was with them. I felt butterflies start in my stomach at the prospect of seeing him so soon. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if he wasn’t with them. We left the dead end ghost town of the ruined part of the base and as we made our way to the middle of the base I began to see stragglers wandering outside in their pyjamas as well as a few dressed in Hydra military gear with rifles.   
Jason cleared his throat, glancing at me every now and then.  
“You know I never got to thank you for not turning Ian in.It would have absolutely destroyed my father to see anything happen to him”.  
“There’s no need to thank me Jason, it’s not like I put myself in any more danger by keeping my mouth shut”.  
He smiled at me, he looked so much like Ian it was adorable.  
“Still. Ian’s my little brother, its always been my job to protect him. That’s why I got so scared when you mentioned him. I thought that maybe you meant to blackmail me or something”.  
“I may be a CIA agent but I’m not a terrible person. All good people should protect the innocent, innocents like Ian. He seemed like a great guy”.  
“Yeah he’s a great guy but believe me he’s no innocent. That’s taking it too far”. I laughed at his joke and he laughed too. 

Jason parked the car off a side street and then he reached into the back seat. He got out a box which he opened and took out two standard issue hand guns. He handed me one.  
“We have to go help out at the front now and even though they were taken by surprise, doesn’t mean we can walk around unarmed”.  
“You got that right” I replied. It had been so long since I’d handled a weapon and it felt good to once more be in charge, to feel like an agent again.  
We wandered back to the front gate, Jason taking the lead, our guns raised and at the ready. We could hear commotion nearby but the streets were deserted. People were either at the other end of the base or too scared to leave their apartments.  
We had just walked past a closed door when it opened and out walked Fred. We had taken him by surprise evidently because he jumped as we came into his line of vision and he dropped a number of papers he’d been carrying.  
We both raised our guns at him.  
“What are you doing”? I asked.  
He put his hands up but eyed me with undisguised hatred.  
“What’s it to you”? He shot back.  
“I’d like to know that too” Jason replied.  
He eyed him suspiciously.  
“So we’ve found the leak in Hydra. Jason Foxglove, I’ve always been suspicious of your family, a little too perfect for my liking. You’re a traitor and make no mistake, Commander Carter doesn’t do well with traitors. Ask her”. He nodded his head at me and I felt annoyance begin to bubble up.  
“Commander Carter isn’t going to do anything about that because as far as I know, he’s currently out of commission on the other side of the base”.  
“I’m guessing you had something to do with that? You little whore. I tried to warn him about you but he still went ahead and gave you the ring”.  
I raised my gun lower, pointing it at his bulging stomach. He really was starting to annoy me even more than he usually did.  
“Call me another name and I’ll show you what I think of you”.  
“You’re finished Fred, even you should know that. Cover me Clara”.  
I raised my gun while Jason bent over to pick up his dropped papers.  
Jason whistled as he stood up.  
“Would you look at that? It’s his file. What were you going to do with that Freddy”?   
I didn’t look away but kept my gun trained on Fred.  
Fred glared at me but he answered.  
“You’ve got the right of it Foxglove, Carter’s done but doesn’t mean that I have to be”.  
Jason raised his gun once more.  
“You were going to switch sides. Downplay your involvement in Hydra so you could seek asylum with the CIA” he glanced at me.  
“So much for loyalty” I replied dryly.  
“There’s no such thing as loyalty” Fred replied coldly, then moving faster than I could have anticipated, he turned on his heel and ducked around the building. Jason gave chase, shooting at Fred’s retreating figure and as I went to follow, a dark shape stepped out of the shadow of the building.

It was Sebastian. He was fully dressed in Hydra regalia- all black with the red armband on his upper arm and he looked absolutely terrifying. His eyes were bloodshot and he was a little pale but his back was ramrod straight. So much for a hangover.   
I swallowed hard as we eyed each other, my mouth dry.  
“Don’t come back Jason! Get away as far as you can”! I called.  
Sebastian didn’t even flinch, he just smiled cruelly- his eyes terrifying holes in his face, half in shadow and half in the light.  
“That’s you Clara. Always the good girl” he said quietly.  
I had a gun but it might has well have been nothing. I didn’t know if I had it in me to shoot him and we both knew it.  
I’d never seen him look like this. So calm and restrained. He was so wound up, I could see the tension in his shoulders and legs- he reminded me of a cobra just before it struck.  
“Yes I am”.  
He took a step forward and I raised the gun higher.  
He just chuckled without humor.   
“You know, I actually believed you. What a little actress you’ve become”.  
“I’m an agent Sebastian. What did you think? That I could love you after the way you’ve treated me? You’re a monster Sebastian and you love it. I see it in your eyes! I could never love someone like you” I replied, vehemence coming into my voice as I finally let free all the words I’d been holding inside for over a week.   
“I’m a monster now? All I’ve ever done is try to love you and you’ve done nothing but throw it in my face”. He tilted his head to the side before taking another step.  
I stepped back nervously, my palms sweaty on the gun.  
“Love me? What do you know about love? You just play with people! Its nothing but a game to you. You don’t love me, you just want me because you can’t have me”!  
He scoffed narrowing his eyes.  
“That may be true but it seems you don’t know anything about love either. How do you think your precious Bucky is going to react when he finds out you’ve been whoring yourself out to me for the last few days? Do you think he’ll take back damaged goods”?  
I clenched my jaw, his words had hurt because some of them were echoing my own fears and doubts.  
“I did not whore myself out Sebastian! I had to get you to trust me and that was the only way. Don’t pretend it was worth anything more than it was” I replied, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.  
He raised his eyebrows.  
“Really Clara? You mean to tell me that you didn’t like kissing me at all? That you didn’t moan when I kissed your neck or you didn’t kiss me a little harder than you had to? You pretend to be so good when in fact you’re the complete opposite. I think you’re more like me than you’d like to admit”.  
I felt a blush start up my neck and I was completely furious at my body’s reaction.   
“Is that a blush I see? Your mouth may lie but your body doesn’t” he stepped forward again and I stepped back, my gun still trained on him.  
“Well if we’re so similar then why are you here? Why are you angry at me”?  
His voice was as slippery as silk when he answered, his eyes pinning mine in place.  
“Oh I’m not angry at you Clara. I’m livid and I’m going to teach you a lesson. You and your precious Bucky”.  
I didn’t like the tone in his voice so I changed the subject. I wanted to keep him distracted for as long as possible so that I wouldn’t have to fight him.  
“How did you get out of the apartment”?  
He smiled that razor sharp smile of his again- he looked almost feral as he looked at me.  
“Your sedative wore off pretty soon after you left, in fact I heard a car pull away when I woke up. How did you get ahold of that? You’re probably in league with the insurgents aren’t you? Everything’s been too much of a coincidence for it be sheer chance that you chose tonight to escape”.  
Jesus. It had only lasted for a few minutes on Sebastian, he must have been somehow immune to it. I was lucky that I’d made it this far.  
I nodded.  
“I found out about them in LA, the guy that I spent a lot of time talking to was Jason’s brother. Ian Foxglove, he told me about them and I have to thank you for connecting me with the leader as soon as I got here” I couldn’t help gloating a little.  
He looked puzzled for a moment.   
“Calypso. Anna is Calypso. In fact she also happens to be my mother. Anna Smith when I knew her and she works for the British actually”. I smiled as he looked even more lost. He wasn’t the only one with surprises.  
He frowned at me.  
“That’s not possible. You don’t look a thing alike”.  
“That’s the point. I’ve always looked like my father”.  
“You told me that your mother had left your father years ago”.  
“She did but she was recruited by the British again- she worked with them in college you see”.  
He raised his eyebrows and twisted his mouth, shrugging wryly.  
“You caught me completely by surprise with that one, I’ll admit it”.  
“I am quite the little actress like you said” I replied dryly.  
“And I’m guessing you really were sneaking information back to your father. Weren’t you? How”?  
“Bugs, the little gold hairpins you let me keep were bugs. The CIA had the transmitter and I left them a message almost every day”. I smirked a little.  
“Hmm. Where did you keep them”? He tucked his hands into his pockets and I felt myself relax a little.  
“In the pack of pads in the bathroom. I knew you’d never dare to look there. Honestly, men can be so weird about some stuff”.  
“You have been busy Clara”. He mused coldly.  
“I guess I have. You underestimated me Seb”.  
I saw his face darken at the name but he stayed where he was.  
“I guess I did. No longer though. I suppose there’s no chance that I’ll be getting that ring back anytime soon”?  
I shook my head.  
“Not a chance. I think I’ll use it to buy an apartment for Bucky and I to live in” I knew I shouldn’t have taunted him but I couldn’t help it.  
“Oh no Clara, you’re not going anywhere. If I can’t have you, no one can” with those words he took two steps forwards and I pulled the trigger. He danced away from my shot, and before I knew it, his hand was on the gun and he tugged hard.  
I cried out as my finger caught on the trigger and I was forced to let it go. He threw it far away before turning around, the back of his hand coming up and sending me sprawling.  
Oh shit. Sebastian’s eyes were cold as he advanced on me, I tried to edge away but he caught me by my hair, pulling me off the ground roughly.  
“You don’t know how good this feels right now Clara”.  
He slapped me again and this time I really felt it, my vision blurring and teeth chattering.  
His hand wrapped around my throat and I couldn’t breathe as he began to squeeze.  
“You’re never going to see him again Clara. I want you to die knowing that. You’re mine”. His face was so close to mine, he even caressed my cheek with his free hand.   
It was those words that sprung me back into action.  
I kicked out with my foot, connecting with his knee and his grip loosened.  
Bucky’s words echoed in my head and I struck Sebastian as hard as I could in the throat before he could recover. He bent over and I brought my knee up to his face. It hit him but he was ready for me, he spun away and brought his own hand up, punching me in the stomach.  
I coughed and was totally winded by the punch. I moved back to catch my breath as Sebastian stood up straight.  
His lip was split and he touched it, tasting the blood.  
“Hmm I like this Clara. Your fight, it makes it so much more entertaining” he sprung again but I spun out of his grip. I tried to bring my knee up again to get him in the groin but he blocked it, grabbing my arm and slapping me again and then pulling me flush against his rock hard body.  
I struggled to push away from him with my hands but he just pulled me closer, his hand closing painfully around my jaw.  
“Hmm, why don’t you kiss me Clara? Tell me how much you love me and want to marry me now”.  
I tried to get my palm up and hit him on the chin but he shifted away at the last second and he didn’t get the full brunt of the blow. He grabbed my hand and pinned it to my side once more.  
“You little bitch. When will you give in huh? When will you stop fighting me”?  
He slapped me again and I swear I felt a tooth loosen. My face was still recovering from Fred’s blows and Sebastian’s just made it hurt even more.  
My teeth chattered together as he shook me, his fingers digging cruelly into my arms. “Is this what you wanted"? His voice hissed into my ear.  
I tried to get my hands up and push back against his chest but he just shook me again.   
"Huh? Is this what you wanted? Answer me damn it Clara"!   
I just struggled harder, how could I have thought a bunch of sheets and a sedative would be enough to protect me from him? His anger was unstoppable, I’d never seen him like this. Not even at the Smithsonian. But I had to admit that I’d always sensed it. Always lurking under his smiles and kisses.

"Stop it"! I managed to get out, tugging away from him but once more it didn't work. Sebastian wasn't going to let me go so easily, he enjoyed hurting me too much for that.

"Oh you want me to stop it do you"? He taunted, a mean glint in his eyes.   
"I should bend you over my knee and maybe if you beg I'll even take you back" his left hand slipped down my body suggestively squeezing and I felt sickened.

I kicked my leg out and connected with his shin. He cried out and his grip loosened and I managed to stumble a step away but his hand came out of nowhere and connected with the side of my face. Shit that was most definitely going to bruise.  
I turned to run but I only took two steps when I felt his hand catch at my hair, pulling me back mercilessly. I screamed and felt tears start up in my eyes at the pain.  
He just laughed.  
"Oh save your screams for later, I'm not nearly finished with you"!  
He pulled again and I felt my head start to throb but I didn't scream, I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.   
"You're mine Clara. I can do what I want to you and I'm going to break you. Body and soul" he gritted out.  
I tried to step on his foot but I just managed to connect with air. "I gave you the chance to be my equal, to do this the easy way but you threw it in my face! I would have given you everything”!   
I felt his hand slide up to my neck and I knew that If I let him strangle me again, he’d probably wait for me to lose consciousness and he’d take me somewhere else to kill me.

Gathering my strength, I stepped on his foot and head butted him, spinning away before he could pull me in again. I was in the process of stumbling away when I ran into someone. A man. I turned and there stood Bucky, as handsome and intractable as ever and I almost fell over in relief.   
“Oh Bucky, you have no idea how glad I am to see you” I hugged him but his gaze was still focused on Sebastian, he pushed me behind him, protecting me with his body.  
“Well well well, the man himself. I bet she must be practically wetting herself to see you” Sebastian taunted, danger flashing in his eyes.  
Bucky just eyed him impassively.  
“Why don’t you fight someone your own size for once Carter? Only cowards hit defenseless women”.  
“Before we fight, I think we should talk. Man to man. Just so you know what you’re fighting for. Clara isn’t exactly as pure as the driven snow. You’d be scandalized to know what she’s been doing with me if you know what I mean. But of course you’d know that since you guys got all intimate in LA” he winked salaciously at Bucky and I just wanted to die on the spot.  
Bucky didn’t even flinch, he just kept staring at Sebastian.   
“You’re all talk Carter.”  
Sebastian looked a little disgruntled that his words hadn’t had the desired effect but he recovered quickly as Bucky sprung forward and they began to dance. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen, Bucky moved as quick as a snake but Sebastian was just as fast. He blocked a kick but Bucky managed to land a punch with his metal hand in Sebastian’s side.  
Sebastian may have been fast but Bucky was by far the strongest of the pair, I could almost hear his blows when they landed. Bucky was usually lethal when he fought but today he was even more so. He fought with a cold efficiency that I’d never seen in him before. Sebastian was good but I could see that the alcohol really did have an effect on him, his feet were sloppy and his blows ineffective. I knew Bucky had won the fight even before Sebastian realized it.  
Bucky landed a hit to the middle of his chest, sending Sebastian stumbling backwards but he didn’t let him recover. He followed him, grasped him by the collar and landed a bone shattering punch to his temple. Sebastian crumpled instantly, his legs buckling under him as he fell to the ground.  
There was silence as Bucky bent over and began pulling Sebastian’s body over to me. Jason reappeared from the shadow of the building. There was someone with him – Ian appeared and handed Bucky what looked like a pair of magnetized heavy duty handcuffs.  
Bucky turned Sebastian over, cuffing his hands at the small of his back as I looked on nervously.  
Jason walked over to me but I saw him stop in his tracks as he took in my face. I must have looked a total mess.  
I just smiled at him and felt my lip split.  
“Don’t look so happy to see me will you”?  
He whistled.  
“Clara, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let us get separated”-   
I held up my hand to stop him.  
“You would’ve gotten yourself killed Jason, don’t sweat the small stuff. I’m still alive aren’t I”?  
“Barely” Jason replied but I saw a hint of a smile on his face.  
“I’m guessing you brought Bucky back here and that’s enough for me”.  
He nodded reluctantly and I just smiled. Why were the Foxglove’s such good kids?   
“Are you gonna introduce me to your brother”? I asked nodding at Ian.  
“Oh yeah, sorry, Ian this is who I was telling you about. The one who went undercover at the party in LA? Clara”?  
Recognition sprung on Ian’s face and I saw the hint of a blush on his face. He knew who I was.  
“Oh yeah, Clara hi. It’s nice to finally meet you”.  
I could tell he was embarrassed about our last conversation and I had to admit that I felt a little awkward myself.  
“You too Ian. I just wanted to thank you. Meeting you at that party practically saved my neck so”….  
He shook his head gallantly.  
“I didn’t save anyone. I was just really into Theresa and I got a little carried away”.  
“You sure did” Jason nudged his brother and they both burst out laughing.  
“Oh” I exclaimed, a thought popping into my head.   
“Theresa! How is she”? I asked.  
Jason’s face turned serious.  
“She’s fine, the holding cells have been liberated. She’s safe but she’s still in a bit of shock”.  
Ian looked troubled by this news and I couldn’t help feeling a little bad.  
“Ian, I know that we’re practically strangers but as a girl, I think you should ask Theresa out. Life’s too short to waste on being unhappy, I mean look at me”.  
Ian smiled at me and I had a feeling that he would have asked Theresa out even if I hadn’t mentioned it.  
A walkie talkie buzzed in Jason’s pocket and he pulled it out to listen to the instructions, sending a short reply back.  
“Hey, we should head back to the front. They’re loading up the officials into the vans”. Jason nodded at Sebastian’s unconscious form.  
I opened my mouth to reply but surprisingly, Bucky spoke first.   
“Yeah we’ll be there in a moment”.  
Jason nodded at him before him and Ian turned on their heel, leaving me alone with Bucky for the first time in what felt like forever.  
Bucky watched me, an odd expression on his face.  
I wanted to say something but I just couldn’t find the words. I still couldn’t believe that he was here, that he was really standing there in front of me.  
He smiled at me hesitantly and stepped forward, swinging his arms.  
“Have you missed me”?  
I couldn’t speak, all I could do was move forward and run into his arms.  
He pulled me close, his familiar smell filled my nostrils and I felt so safe that I actually felt tears spring into my eyes.   
“I have missed you” I murmured into his chest. I tried to keep my voice steady but it came out thicker than I intended.  
Bucky pulled me away from his chest and I felt the tears pour down my face.  
“Why are you crying Clara? Don’t cry”.  
His voice was so clear and calm that it made me cry even more and suddenly everything that I had been through in the past fortnight came tumbling out.  
“I’m so sorry, I should have listened to you, you were right and I was wrong. If only I’d”…  
“Shhh shh shh” he murmured, wiping away my tears with his right hand.  
“That’s not important right now, all that matters is that its over. You’ve done amazingly Clara, don’t sell yourself short. None of this would have been possible without you”.  
“But it’s all my fault Bucky. If I hadn’t been captured, then I wouldn’t have cheated on you”-  
He cut me off firmly.  
“Clara, I don’t believe that. Not for a second. I know what kind of monster he is and I believe you did whatever you had to do to survive. I’m proud of you. I would have done the same”.  
I sniffled pathetically but felt myself calm down.  
“You aren’t mad at me”?  
He shook his head.  
“Not at all. I’m mad at him though, I’d love to murder him right now but your father would have my head if I did”.  
I managed a giggle at that.  
“Yes, I suppose he would”.  
I heard Sebastian moan from beside us and without breaking stride, Bucky leaned down and punched him again, this time in the jaw.  
He went limp once more and Bucky stood up.  
I felt the smile fade off my face.  
“Bucky”?  
“Yeah”?  
“About the letter. To Steve…. I’m sorry. I know I went behind your back but I just wanted to”-  
He shook his head once more.  
“Don’t be. I was angry at first and I still think that you need to learn boundaries” he raised his eyebrow and I tried to look contrite.  
“But if you hadn’t written that letter, I don’t know what I would have done. Steve saved my life”.  
“How”?  
He glanced at me before getting this faraway look in his eyes.  
“In LA, the Black Panther set a trap for me and I was completely sure that I was finished. Steve found me and I don’t think that I would be standing here if he hadn’t found me. He saved my life, you both did. I didn’t know that I needed Steve in my life but now I can’t imagine being away from him anymore. I don’t know, it’s been forever but it doesn’t feel that way. Everything makes so much more sense now that I have someone who understands, someone who truly understands”.   
I felt a smile slowly form on my lips, there was a glow in Bucky’s eyes that I hadn’t seen before and it was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.   
“You know you’re glowing right. You’ve got this I just found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow look in your eyes right now”.  
Bucky scoffed and puffed out his chest a little.  
“Yeah right Clara, I’m a grown man. I don’t glow”.  
“Call it what you like but you’re happy. It so cute”.  
He frowned mock seriously but he pulled me into his arms.  
“Now you’re just being ridiculous”.  
“Ridiculous eh”?  
His lips lowered.  
“Entirely”.  
I closed my eyes as our lips met, and all was lost. It was like an explosion of colour behind my eyelids as we kissed, lips pressed against each other and our tongues dancing. He tasted just like he always did, like I was coming home after far too long. How could I ever have thought that I had imagined this?  
There was a cough and we broke apart reluctantly.  
I saw Bucky smile a tad sheepishly and I turned around.  
I instantly wished that I hadn’t, Captain America and Sharon Carter were standing there.  
I tried to smooth my clothes down and repress the blush that was making itself clear on my face.  
Captain America stepped forward, a grin on his handsome face as he extended his hand out.  
“Steve Rodgers, and I’m guessing you’re the Clara I’ve heard so much about”.  
I tried to keep my face straight as I shook his hand.  
He was even more handsome than I could have imagined- he was over six feet of muscle and radiated power even in his civilian clothing. He made jeans and a t-shirt look intimidating. Bucky and he were peas in a pod, I could instantly see how they could be best friends.  
I cleared my throat.  
“Yeah, I’m Clara”.  
“Sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to thank you for writing that letter. Without it, we never would have found Bucky”.  
I shrugged.  
“Well I guess I was glad to help. I was actually terrified that it wouldn’t get to you at all. You must get a ton of crazy fan letters being Captain America and all”.  
This time he shrugged.  
“I guess I do but it’s a part of the job. I never turn down someone who really needs my help. I was sorry to hear that you’d been captured by Hydra, it must have been quite the ordeal” He nodded at Sebastian. “Especially being left under his mercy given your history”.  
“It wasn’t easy but I guess I was just glad that Bucky got away. Now that would have been quite the ordeal”.  
He looked slightly impressed at that and glanced at Bucky.  
“He said you were brave but now I can see it for myself”.  
I smiled, Steve was so charming.  
“It’s just nice to meet you. Bucky has told me a lot about you”.  
Steve looked surprised at that and raised his eyebrows.  
“Oh he has, has he? It’s funny that he didn’t mention that at all”.  
I looked at Bucky and he looked even more sheepish.  
“Well if there’s anyone I should thank, its Sharon. I’d never have written that letter if it wasn’t for her”.  
She smiled at me.  
“Oh I don’t think meddling should be a virtue but I was glad to help”.  
I saw Steve look at her, even more impressed and Sharon blushed, looking away. Bucky and I exchanged a glance, I had a feeling that a double date would be in order just around the corner.  
EPILOGUE  
I rolled over on the sand and looked at Bucky through half closed lids. He looked asleep, his chest tanned a deep brown from our escapades under the sun. It had been two weeks since the whole fiasco and I’d been desperate to get away from the Midwest at all costs. The second we’d gotten back to New York, I’d sold the engagement ring and bought us a trip to Jamaica. I thought Bucky would have been resistant to the idea but he surprisingly wasn’t, I guess he’d been tired of running too (even if he didn’t show it). My father had been the real issue, he’d insisted that I was too young to be going on vacation with a man but surprisingly enough my mother had talked him around. Yes, my mother and my father were on speaking terms again. They’d even exchanged phone numbers and we’d all gone out to dinner: mom, Dad, Bucky (or James as they both insisted on calling him) and me. I know right, I still couldn’t believe it. Steve had headed back to Washington with Sharon as they were both evidently workaholics and I believe were still tying up loose ends. I guess a corporation like Hydra could never go under easily.  
I still remember the look in Sebastian’s eyes when he’d been led to the van, they had been eyes filled with such venom and coldness that they’d pinned mine in place until the doors had been closed and I’d said goodbye to Sebastian forever. It had been a terrible moment and I still had nightmares- I know- it was crazy to think that I was the one with the nightmares now. Bucky still occasionally woke up in a cold sweat but I think mainly thanks to his devoted relationship with Steve, he was healing.   
My time at the base made me appreciate how lucky I’d been to have been kept away from the world for such a short time, I don’t know how Bucky dealt with being trapped for seventy years. Bucky really was a miracle all things considered. He was the one now reassuring me that Sebastian and all his cronies were rotting away in a maximum security prison and there was no way for them to get to me. It was hard to believe that when every other night I was dreaming about Sebastian beating me and that dark cell but I guess lighter moments made it easier.   
One of the lighter moments had been my father smugly escorting Malcom Evans to a van in hand cuffs, Gwen’s face had been puffy with tears and she’d had to be restrained. It looked like she wasn’t going to be Mrs Sebastian Carter anytime soon, it was such a shame that reality had crushed her dreams (sarcasm). She’d been absolutely mortified when she’d noticed me watching her and had avoided all eye contact when she had been taken back to her room. It was funny how life worked out, she’d just dodged a bullet but she’d had no idea. I actually felt sorry for her crazily enough.   
Fred had been another of these moments, he’d been meek and obedient when he’d been put in the van. I saw him wilt when he saw Sebastian and I knew that justice had been served. Fred would have to spend time in a van with a man who he had betrayed and knowing just what Sebastian was capable of, I knew that he had cause to be very afraid.  
Seeing Theresa and Ian walking arm in arm had also given me a little more hope, she’d looked so fragile and torn up but she had still been walking. Whatever Hydra had put her through hadn’t been enough to ruin her spirit, she’d given Ian a coy smile which he returned, giving me a thumbs up from behind her back. Jason had just rolled his eyes and smiled at me exasperatedly. I kinda missed Jason but I guess I would be seeing him soon, he and a few others had been employed by the CIA and they were now technically my colleagues. My mother had been offered a job but she’d refused, choosing to stay with MI6 so that she wouldn’t ‘have to see Marcus’ ugly ties everyday’.   
She’d moved back to New York though, her apartment was right around the corner from ours and I could see her everyday if I wanted to. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to yet. Our fortnightly lunch dates had been almost too much for me at first but I was getting used to it slowly. It was strange having someone back in your life after so long, realizing that even though you hadn’t known it, you had missed them all along. Bucky had the same thing with Steve, they were close but still had a lot of catching up to do. I was glad that they were making up, I’d never seen Bucky so at peace. Writing that letter had been one of the best things for him, especially when I’d found out that being friends an Avenger came with perks. Steve had called in a favor, offering to put Bucky in a so called regeneration cradle so he could regenerate his left arm. Bucky had been really excited by the offer even though he kept it off his face, his blue eyes steely as usual. I was all for it since he could keep the strength of his steel arm and just have it blend more into his muscle systems. Steve had mentioned that they had done something similar for one of the new members of the Avengers, the ‘Vision’. Bucky was still mulling it over and I let him, it was his decision alone and he had to be the one to make the final call. It wouldn’t change us in any way, I would love him just as much either way and would be as supportive as possible.  
Bucky cracked his eye open, the blue iris reflecting the sky above us and caught me watching him. He smirked slowly.  
“Clara why do I always catch you up to no good”?  
I tried not to blush as he rolled over and pulled me into his arms.  
“Hey, you look at me too. I just haven’t caught you yet”.  
He nodded solemnly.  
“And you never will”.  
I reached up to smack him but he caught my hand in his steel palm, cool as he brought his warm lips to my hand.  
“You don’t play fair”! I accused as he gently kissed the back of my hand and butterflies erupted in my stomach.   
“You know what they say: ‘all is fair in love and war’”. He quoted in a deep sing song voice.  
“Even this”? I raised my eyebrow while my other hand wandered down his lower abdomen, tracing his muscles.  
He tensed and his smile turned into a bit of a grimace.  
“Now who’s not playing fair”?  
Nearby my brand new SAT phone vibrated and I glanced at it.  
It was my father, he was calling to check in for possibly the four hundredth time that day.  
“Aren’t you gonna get that”? Bucky teased.  
I shook my head.  
“No, I’m having too much fun to let my father ruin it”.  
He smiled wryly.  
“You know he doesn’t want to ruin anything. He’s just worried about you, you’re lucky he let you go away this soon after what happened in LA. I wouldn’t”.  
His arms closed tighter around my body.  
“Yeah yeah I know. He’s a great Dad but sometimes I wish he would let me enjoy my boyfriend’s company a little more often”.  
He shrugged.  
“At least he didn’t kill me. I wasn’t so sure since he held me personally responsible for your abduction”-  
“Bucky” I interrupted but he held his hand up.  
“I know what you’re going to say and I know that Steve would say the same thing. It wasn’t my fault and that I shouldn’t hold myself accountable for things I couldn’t change. That may be true, I’m starting to come around to the idea but it doesn’t change the fact that you were gone. That was one of the longest most painful few days of my life Clara, I thought I had lost you for good and I had to face the fact that I might never have seen you again” He cradled my face in his hands, his thumb tracing over my cheekbone while his eyes held mine in place.  
“I can’t ever lose you like that again Clara. I can’t stand the thought that another man might call you his, kiss you, touch you or be near you” he gripped my hand tight with his right hand.   
I shook my head and squeezed his hand.  
“You won’t” I replied quietly.  
He smiled again.  
“I know. That’s the thing, I underestimated you. Somehow in my mind, I thought that you’d just sit there and that you hadn’t been listening to anything I’d taught you. I was wrong to see you as someone I’d failed and not my equal. For that I’m sorry and I’m sure Sebastian is too”.  
I chuckled at his words.  
“There’s nothing to apologize for and besides, I always listen to what you have to say”. This time, I pressed a kiss to his fingers.  
I held up a finger objectively.  
“Except when I’m working out, that’s just too much to ask. You’re far too competitive”.  
He pulled his hand away and roughly pulled me to him, his fingers tangling in the ties of my bikini top.  
He had a mock fierce expression on his face.  
“Are you teasing me Clara”?  
I raised my right eyebrow coyly.  
“Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it”?  
He lowered his lips on to mine, and I felt my heart burst and fire shoot through my veins as my bikini top was cast aside roughly.  
“This” he murmured just before our lips touched and the rest of the world became unimportant. It was just us against the world in our little secluded beach house and instantly, the world became a much better place.  
FINIS

**Author's Note:**

> This is my last fic in the Glacier City series and it was a labor of love. I hope you enjoy it as much as enjoyed writing it.  
> Sean O'Pry is still imagined as Sebastian Carter.  
> I hope to write more after Civil War inspires me when I see it later tonight.  
> Cheers  
> PS look out for my new Henry Cavill au fic.It's gonna be a killer!  
> xx MCM


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